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First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.18.25 “Our strength comes from our immigrant heritage.” So said President Reagan in 1981. Trump calls immigrants “rapists,” “killers” and “illegal monsters.” He says immigrants “aren’t people — these are animals” who are “poisoning the blood of our country.” In fact, both documented and undocumented immigrants have significantly lower crime rates than native-born Americans. But that fact never got in the way of the vicious anti-imm

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.18.25 Trump calls tariffs “my favorite word.” When a Canadian ad included audio of Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs, a childish Trump lied that it was fake, cancelled trade negotiations and hiked Canada’s tariffs. Reagan’s economic adviser Bruce Bartlett called Trump a “baby” and the ad “100% accurate.” See for yourself! Google “Reagan’s Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade” and hear him say: “Trade barriers hurt every American wo

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.18.25 In January, Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Secretary of Defense was on the rocks. Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and NC’s Thom Tillis had doubts. Tillis told Hegseth’s sister-in-law that her testimony about Hegseth would “carry weight” with them. She signed an affidavit swearing that “Hegseth has an alcohol problem and was abusive to his ex-wife,” but Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth anyway. T

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.11.25 That’s how Judge Peter Castel described Juan Hernández, former president of Honduras, before handing him a 45-year sentence for trafficking cocaine to the U.S. Prosecutors said Hernández was at “the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.” Castel said the number of killings it caused was “staggering.” Hernández boasted, “We’re going to stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses, an

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.11.25 In March, a 79-year-old man who was elected president in 2016 was extradited to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Not Trump (yet), but Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ former president, known as the “Donald Trump of Asia.” Duterte killed over 7,000 suspected drug users. Duterte said he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million people, called dead children “collateral damage,” and encouraged police,

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.11.25 The tragic shooting of two National Guard soldiers has Republicans blaming others for what they did. The suspected shooter would never have been here without them. President Bush invaded Afghanistan because al-Qaeda launched the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan, protected by the Taliban. American forces occupied Afghanistan so it could never again become a terrorist base. Trump opposed the occupation. In 2012, Trump said, “Afgha

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.04.25 President Trump falsely claimed that his tariffs are paid by foreigners. He repeated this lie despite the fact that economists agree that tariffs are taxes on American importers that are passed along to American consumers as higher prices. Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore, Trump’s former senior economic adviser and author of the book “Trumponomics” explained: “Tariffs are taxes — and taxes are bad.” Moore said tari

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.04.25 For over 30 years I lived in Cary, which boasts NC’s lowest rate of property and violent crimes, including robbery and murder. In 2022, FBI data ranked Cary America’s safest city. The targeting of Cary by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) exposes the ugly truth beneath the fiction that Trump’s mass deportations are about making American cities safer. Fernando Vasquez is an 18-year-old American citizen from birth. On No

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 12.04.25 At 2,700 “No Kings” protests last month, over 7 million Americans rejected authoritarianism, exemplified by Trump’s illegal use of troops in American cities. More than 170 American citizens have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by federal troops. At least three pregnant citizens were detained — one had the door of her home blown off while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watched. Masked, armed troops arres

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.27.25 When I read that masked ICE troopers rappelled from helicopters onto a Chicago apartment house at 1 a.m., I couldn’t believe it was happening in America. A resident said he hid a mother and her 7-year-old daughter after seeing armed troopers zip-tie nearly naked kids and separate them from their parents. “I didn’t want them to take her,” he said. Anne Frank was a 13-year-old German-born Jew. She was hidden from the Nazis by

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.27.25 Trump has used every dodge he could think of to escape accountability for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. He might soon run out of dodges. On Sept. 8, an appeals court upheld the jury decision ordering Trump to pay Carroll $83 million for calling her a liar when she said he raped her. In June, the same appeals court upheld the jury’s underlying finding that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll. When Trump denied raping Carroll,

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.20.25 The White House belongs to the American people. That’s why it’s called “The People’s House.” In his 1981 Christmas Address, President Reagan said, “This fine, old home — the people’s house — has seen so much, been so much a part of all our lives and history.” First Lady Nancy Reagan said, “The White House belongs to all Americans. It’s supposed to be something we’re proud of.” When Trump unveiled plans for his virtual copy of

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.20.25 As a teenager, I drove a Corvair, made infamous by Ralph Nader’s book, “Unsafe at Any Speed.” Gas cost 36 cents/gallon. After 1973’s Arab-Israeli War, Arab countries embargoed oil, quadrupling its price. That caused gas rationing, stagnant growth, inflation and unemployment: the nightmare scenario called “stagflation,” which is even harder to fix than a recession. Thanks to Trump, stagflation is back. Inflation has soared 25%

“The Mar-a-Lago face” – described uncharitably by The Hollywood Reporter  as a “dolled-up Fox News anchorwoman look” – has been a thing among GOP headliners for the past year. But since last month’s Election Day, when Democrats rode to victories in key contests across the U.S., Republicans are wearing a new face: 😱 Heading into the critically important mid-term elections next November, voters can rest assured that races at all levels will be a referendum on the MAGA-based Re

Resources to combat abusive policies and  empower our immigrant neighbors: Siembra NC Defense Hotline : 336-543-0353 Siembra Ojo Obrero Hotline : 888-622-4616 Community Safety and Know-Your-Rights Resources Know Your Rights If You Encounter ICE:  English  and  Español Know Your Rights: Immigration We Have Rights: Videos to Prepare for ICE   (available in eight languages) Know Your Rights When Confronted by ICE (flyer, available in Spanish) Resources for Immigrant Communities

Wow, Wow, Wow! We asked people to donate to our Thanksgiving Food Drive, and the response was overwhelming — in the best possible way. THANK YOU to everyone who donated and to our Good Works Team and other volunteers who helped sort and deliver the thousands of contributions we received. And, a special shout-out to our precinct leaders, who gathered donations in their communities and brought them to our HQ. We collected a total of 3,887 pounds of food and related items at our

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.13.25 Trump’s Bonanza for Billionaires Bill stripped healthcare tax credits from millions of Americans to give the richest 1% a $1 trillion tax cut. Republicans caused the longest shutdown in history when they voted down Democrats’ bill to keep government open and preserve healthcare credits. Americans blame Republicans because Republicans control the entire government. On Oct. 30, Trump agreed, asking, “why did the powerful Republ

JOINT STATEMENT: SHELLEY ALLEN, CHAIR, BRUNSWICK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY JILL HOPMAN, CHAIR, NEW HANOVER COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY November 11, 2025 CONTACT: Arthur Hill Rep. David Rouzer (NC Seventh Congressional District) is scheduled to attend a “WATERS Summit” in Wilmington on Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. to review the impact of coastal flooding on agriculture in the Cape Fear region. The summit will take place in Daniels Hall at Cape Fear Community College but is not open

First published in the Brunswick Beacon , 11.06.25 I’m a Brunswick County resident, Air Force veteran, and father of five — my youngest a freshman at North Brunswick High School. My family moved here in 2019 after my military retirement, seeking a better life for our kids. We love this community, which is why I’m deeply concerned about the direction our BCS Board of Education is taking. On Oct. 7, the board proposed sweeping changes to Policy 3100: Curriculum Development—chan