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On the 8th of February, hundreds of water protectors showed up at an emergency protest at the White House in response to the US Army Corps of Engineers decision to offer a 30 year easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Similar protests were held all over Turtle Island.

Update Standing Rock Feb 8:Permit approved 6PM EST, drilling started 15 min later. Indigenous Environmental Network warns "Police violence seems inevitable and mass casualties are very likely. The only way to keep people safe is to do the EIS. If not, any blood spilled is on Trump’s hands and the hands of the Corps. "

Update Feb 7: US Army Corps of Engineers scraps EIS, announces final easement and permt for the pipeline will be granted. Water protectors, many of them veterans, heading back to Standing Rock despite dangerous cops and weather conditions. Strong hearts to the front!

On the 6th of February, perhaps ten times as many people showed up for a NoDAPL protest at a Dupont Circle area Citibank as would have last Fall. Also different was the police response: cops strategically positioned in locations nearly surrounding the crowd as though waiting for more cops and an order to kettle the protest.The divestment campaign is starting to bite: days ago Seattle divested $3 billion from Well Fargo due to their investments in the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Video of the NoDAPL protest at Citibank

On Wed, Feb 1, as many as 1,500 protesters against Donald Trumps' (now on hold) Muslim travel ban jammed an area of Washington National Airport near an information counter. The protest began with about 600 people and grew over the following hour.

Update Feb 5:Federal court action has overturned the Muslim Ban, blocking any further enforcement for the moment. Due to a conflicting opinion from another court, this will go to appeals and possibly all the way to the US Supreme Court.

On the 31st of January, protesters against Trump, his Muslim ban, and his extremist cabinet nominees filled the hallway in front of Sen Orrin Hatch's office. As of 3PM Capitol Police threatening arrests

On the 30th of January, the Democratic Party staged a rally and press conference at the Supreme Court to condemn Donald Trump's unlawful refugee ban. Thousands of other protesters showed up. Even the US ruling class is now divided on Trump's refugee ban decree, with members of Congress marching out of the Capitol to the Supreme Court to initiate the protest.

YouTube Live video of the rally on January 26 to support the Muslim communtiy currently being targeted by Donald Trump's executive order banning entry to "foreign born" individuals from specific Muslim majority countries. This comes on the heels of orders to build a wall along the US/Mexico border , and targeting "sanctuary cities".

On the 28th of January, Chesapeake Climate Action Network held their annual midwinter Polar Bear Plunge on the banks of the Potomac River at National Harbor. One of the speakers was DC Councilmember Mary Cheh, who exhorted the crowd to "resist, resist, resist" the Trump agenda, and vowed to make the White House pay for carbon-priced electricity.

Video of Mary Cheh vowing"resist" followed by the Polar Bear Plunge

SURG-DC is reporting that arrests and deportations of US Muslims have already started. Visas are being revoked without warning. At any time Trump is expected to issue an executive order forbidding immigration by most or all Muslims, but he has not signed it yet. He already signed a decree (this is how he rules) to build a wall on the Mexica border. With the formal ban on Muslim immigrations still expected and roundups already starting, an emergency protest was held in DC on 15th st near the White House.

For various personal reasons I was unwilling to risk arrest at the J20 inaugural festivities, but I couldn't stand to miss the action altogether. I compromised by trailing in the wake of the black bloc march, far enough behind to be safe, but close enough to make some pertinent observations.