TUT's vital stories to know this week
From Donald Trump's return to the White House to misinformation about Muslims rising across the US, here are four vital stories to know this week
Donald Trump wins back the presidency, sparking anxiety from marginalized groups who fear GOP-controlled government will ‘take their rights away.’
Donald Trump became the first convicted felon to become President of the United States, after defeating Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election, winning the electoral college and popular vote—the first time a Republican won both since 2004.
After running a campaign full of homophobic, Islamophobic, and anti-immigrant remarks, these communities fear what's next for them during another Trump presidency, which aims to curtail protections for these groups.
“I started to cry,” Ashley Baker, a 23-year-old Boston-Native, who wanted to remain anonymous told TUT. “I am so scared they will take my rights away. My right to abortion. My right to healthcare. My queer friends right to exist. I am truly scared for the future of our country.”
Some of Trump’s campaign promises that will affect marginalized communities include:
Rescind federal policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Ban transgender people from serving openly in the military.
Block gender-affirming care for transgender people in federal healthcare programs.
Dismantle the Department of Education.
Eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education.
End federal funding for schools teaching LGBTQ subjects and critical race theory.
Potential further restrictions on reproductive rights, based on his previous Supreme Court appointments.
Implement the largest deportation of undocumented immigrants in US history.
By the numbers: The Trevor Project, an organization that offers a lifeline via phone, online chat or text to LGBTQ+ youth who struggle with thoughts of depression and self-harm, saw a 700% increase in phone calls after the election.
Black people across the U.S. receive slavery messages after election
Dozens of Black people across the U.S.—including Black men, women and students—received messages on their phones saying racist remarks related to slavery a day after Donald Trump won the presidential election on Wednesday, according to officials in several U.S. states. The messages, which had almost identical language, told the recipients they had been “selected for cotton picking” with some having a signature saying they were a “Trump supporter.”
The texts were received by people in states including Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Ohio, New York and Massachusetts, per a CBS News investigation. The FBI said in a statement they are aware of the messages and are working with state officials to investigate the matter.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson condemned the messages and said they represent an "alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric."
"The unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes. These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results.
We've said it before and we'll say it again - there is no place for hate in a democracy. The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.”
A spokesperson for the president-elect told CNN that his “campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages”.
Muslims and Arab Americans face baseless attacks on social media over Harris's election loss
Misinformation is on the rise during the post-election cycle—but not from the traditional sources of voter fraud like the last two elections. This year, it is toward minority groups who are being blamed for Democrats’ lackluster performance in the 2024 election, especially Muslim and Arab American voters, who overwhelmingly abstained from voting or voting for third-party candidates, such as Jill Stein, in protest of Israel’s war on Gaza, which they believe is a “genocide” or “ethnic cleansing.”
“I hope every f*cking Muslims [sic] who voted Trump gets to watch Bibi turn Gaza into a glass parking lot,” wrote one hateful post. “[Green Party leader Jill] Stein voters are going to see what Trump does to Gaza,” suggested another.
This rhetoric stems from a belief that Muslims and Arab Americans voting third party cost Kamala Harris key swing states. However, if you add all votes for Jill Stein in each swing state, former President Trump would still win.
Harris lost PA by 38,000 votes—where Stein only received 33,000 votes.
Harris lost MI by 80,000 votes—where Stein only received 44,000 votes.
Harris lost WI by 30,000 votes—where Stein only received 12,000 votes.
Muslims and Arab American leaders said they had warned the Harris campaign about the declining support from their base, which helped Joe Biden get elected in 2020. Despite this, the Harris campaign did not change their rhetoric or strategy on Gaza.
“These guys didn’t get it at all, they were playing to a narrow base of the people they know best,” said James Zogby, founder of Arab American Institute, who claimed he sent Harris and the Biden administration memos on their vulnerabilities over the war “until I got tired of writing them and they got tired of reading them.
More and more people are deeply troubled by Gaza — parts of the Democratic coalition, the Obama coalition, young people, progressives, Black, Latino and Asian voters — they’re deeply troubled by Gaza,” Zogby added.
TUT: Our founder, Rahim Jessani, has also received similar hateful rhetoric on his personal accounts for our coverage of the war on Gaza.
WATCH: Kamala Harris’s concession speech
Vice President Kamala Harris conceded her loss to Republican opponent Donald Trump in the US presidential election in a public speech at Howard University in Washington, DC, on November 6.
“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love in our country,” she said, as crowds of supporters cheered.
“The outcome of the election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” Harris said.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best - that is a fight I will never give up.”
Credit: Kamala Harris via Storyful
It's crazy how hate and racism are trending like it's the greatest thing to happen in the United States. The dehumanization is dividing the country more and more.