If you’re protesting tomorrow and would like to join our live coverage at 3 PM ET - email me with details of where you’ll be for the live shot and why we should feature you on our live coverage - The e-mail is next@narativ.org
Breaking news dominated today's FiveStack as Iranian missiles struck buildings in Tel Aviv with seven people injured, marking a dramatic escalation after Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" decapitated Iran's military leadership overnight. But the domestic authoritarian crisis continues escalating as 2,100 protests prepare to challenge Trump's military parade and constitutional violations this weekend.
5️⃣ Trump Returns to G7 Amid Canada Annexation Threats
Donald Trump heads to Kananaskis, Alberta this weekend for his first G7 appearance since 2019, where he'll face a carefully orchestrated challenge from allies. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has strategically invited additional leaders including Zelensky, Modi, and Lula to create what insiders describe as calculated confrontations designed to put Trump "on notice" without making him lose his mind. Every agenda item—from countering foreign interference to protecting democratic institutions—directly targets Trump's authoritarian overreach. With his apparent incontinence issues and that suspicious catheter outline spotted at recent UFC events, Trump's public endurance will be tested during this diplomatic gauntlet where he'll be the lonely authoritarian in a room full of democracy defenders.
4️⃣ Court Strikes Down Trump's Military Deployment, Appeals Court Intervenes
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer delivered a scathing 36-page ruling declaring Trump's federalization of 4,000 California National Guard troops "completely illegal," violating both the Tenth Amendment and statutory authority. Breyer explicitly rejected Trump's claim that immigration protests constituted "rebellion," writing that protest against the federal government is "a core civil liberty protected by the First Amendment." But within hours, the Ninth Circuit issued an emergency stay, conveniently keeping troops under Trump's control through the weekend's planned protests—perfect timing for authoritarian theater.
3️⃣ Justice Department Mobilizes All 93 Prosecutor Offices Against Weekend Protesters
Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed every U.S. attorney office to be on standby this weekend, ready to rapidly file federal charges against protesters using the same statutes applied to January 6th insurrectionists. They've already prepared templated press releases, just waiting to copy and paste photos of arrested Americans exercising constitutional rights. This represents an unprecedented weaponization of federal prosecutors against peaceful protest—the exact opposite of how those statutes were intended when applied to actual insurrectionists who attacked Congress with nooses and weapons.
2️⃣ Federal Agents Assault Senator Padilla at Homeland Security Press Conference
California Senator Alex Padilla was violently handcuffed and thrown to the ground by Secret Service and FBI agents after attempting to question DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during her "liberation" press conference in Los Angeles. Despite video evidence from every angle showing Padilla clearly identifying himself from 20 feet away, DHS officials lied, claiming he "lunged" at Noem and posed a threat. This represents state-sanctioned violence against elected opposition—a sitting senator on the Judiciary Oversight Committee was physically assaulted for trying to do his job. If they're willing to brutalize a U.S. Senator on national television, imagine what's happening to people in detention camps behind closed doors.
1️⃣ Over 2,100 No Kings Day Protests Challenge Trump's Military Parade
Tomorrow, June 14th—Trump's birthday and Flag Day—Americans will march in over 2,100 protests nationwide under the banner "No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings." From Boston to Salt Lake City, from Atlanta to Sacramento, this represents the largest coordinated demonstration against Trump's authoritarian ambitions in years. While Trump throws himself a grotesque military parade featuring tanks and crypto sponsors, real America will be in the streets defending democracy. The timing couldn't be more perfect: as prosecutors mobilize to criminalize protest and federal agents assault senators, Americans are showing that they never voted for a king and never will.
Bottom Line: Iran and Israel are now in open warfare while America teeters on the edge of constitutional collapse. Trump's losing every court case while escalating violence against political opponents, but 2,100 protests tomorrow prove that real America rejects authoritarianism—even as the world burns around us.
The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Advertising inquiries email next@narativ.org. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.
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