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Indivisible’s weekly newsletter for August 17, 2026 Indivisibles,
Years ago, an Indivisible group leader who had recently returned from an extended hiatus told me, “The choir keeps singing when one of us takes a breath.” Well, other than writing the weekly newsletter, kicking off a phone bank for Peggy Flanagan, and welcoming our final Indivisible-endorsed candidate Patrick Roath on What’s the Plan, Leah and I spent last week with the kids blessedly checked out from national news. 3-year-old Lila and 5-year-old Zeke passed the days at a couple of splash pads and pools with Grammy and Gramps. Three cheers for the grandparents of the movement!
So what did I miss? The one-year anniversary of the dystopian military occupation of D.C. Trump’s ballroom losing in federal court. Trump embarrassing himself again on the world stage. Trump’s deputy liar-in-chief Karoline Leavitt resigning. Increasing alarm about rogue AI agents. ICE spending $20 million on electro-shock gloves. Trump’s executive order on kids’ vaccines that even one Republican senator called “crazy, stupid.” The crypto industry’s bill getting punted until September.
Just another week in Trump’s America.
And the choir kept singing. Two weeks ago I asked you to adopt a couple of the six Indivisible-endorsed candidates from across four states and get them over the finish line in their Democratic primaries. Five of them won. Donavan McKinney knocked off an incumbent in MI-13. William Lawrence beat two establishment-backed candidates in MI-07. Abdul El-Sayed beat back more than $60 million in AIPAC and other outside money to win the Michigan Senate nomination. Justin J. Pearson won TN-09 after Republicans carved up Memphis to try to erase it. And Peggy Flanagan crushed it in Minnesota. We came up short in Hawaii, where Jarrett Keohokalole lost to incumbent Ed Case. Five for six ain’t bad, and some of it went down while I was soaking up sun with the kids. That's what a movement does.
A protest is a moment. A movement is what keeps going when any one of us steps away. Mass mobilization plus durable organization plus electoral power plus ongoing advocacy is how we beat fascism, and last week you demonstrated how this works.
And now that I’ve taken a breath, I’m happy to be back with the choir. If you’re interested in singing one of our songs, we’ve got some ideas in this week’s to-dos!
In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
Your weekly to-dos
- WEDNESDAY (8pm ET/5pm PT): Join our first national Hands Off Our Vote election protection training to learn how YOU can help protect democratic elections from sabotage by the Trump regime. Protecting the midterms will require a trained, informed citizenry dedicated to defending our sacred right to vote and mobilizing to ensure that every vote is counted. If you’re ready to step up, join our first training this Wednesday where we’ll cover specific things you can do RIGHT NOW to help ensure all eligible voters can cast their ballots. We know this fight isn’t one-size-fits-all, so we’ll provide ways you can shape those actions to your local needs and capacity -- whether you’re an individual, a group member, or a group leader, you’ll leave the training with action items to start making an impact right away.
- Join our Immigrant Justice Summer call this Thursday to learn how to get your community trained up to respond if an ICE surge hits (8pm ET/5pm PT). When ICE shows up in our neighborhoods, it's crucial that we have a grounded system to channel information, resources, and people to power the local response. In these inherently chaotic moments, we’ll talk about how we establish and share trusted sources of information to help protect community members and funnel people into coordinated, strategic action.
- Delete the DoorDash App until they stop fighting to give Trump more control over the District of Columbia. DoorDash has stood silently by while ICE detains and murders their delivery drivers. They said nothing when Trump flooded DC streets with the National Guard. But now, DoorDash has voiced their support for HR 9720, a bill that would give Trump more authority over DC and its residents, all so they can kill a 20-cent tax on delivery orders they don’t like (and which actually supports food stability programs). No matter where you live, you can have an impact by deleting your account until they meet the conditions laid out below.
- TONIGHT, Monday, August 17, join our kickoff call for Patrick Roath (MA-08) featuring Indivisible’s co-director Ezra Levin (8pm ET/5pm PT). Join Indivisibles across the country to hear about our plans to get Roath across the finish line on September 1. Roath is a pro-democracy advocate and lawyer running against a 13-term MAGA-friendly incumbent, and he needs grassroots support to bring home a win. (If you’re already excited to get out the vote for Roath, sign up for one of our upcoming phone banks on August 24 or 31.) Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
P.S. We’re excited to share our general election plans with you soon, but first, we have one more primary to win: Patrick Roath in MA-08. Roath is facing Stephen Lynch -- the only Massachusetts Democrat to vote for the Laken Riley Act, which supercharged Trump’s detention and deportation machine, and the only remaining House Dem who voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Over the next two weeks, we’re hosting phone banks and empowering Indivisibles in MA-08 to knock doors and talk to their neighbors about Roath -- but that all takes funds. If you can, please chip in today to help us close our primary program with a big win for a progressive fighter in Massachusetts.
Delete DoorDash Until They Stop Undermining Democracy
DoorDash refused to speak up when ICE murdered Johan Sebastian Guerrero, one of their own delivery drivers. They kept quiet when Trump sent the National Guard to occupy DC. But now, in petulant retaliation to DC’s 20-cent fee on delivery orders, DoorDash is backing HR 9720, a MAGA power grab over DC right before the midterm elections.
HR 9720 would strip power from DC’s local government and give more authority to Trump and Republicans in Congress. Any attack on DC home rule is an attack on democracy itself -- and all of us aligned against authoritarianism must be willing to respond, regardless of where we live.
DoorDash is enabling and endorsing harm to our communities. Indivisible is partnering with FreeDC to urge all DoorDash users nationwide to delete their accounts until the company meets three demands:
- DoorDash must immediately withdraw their support for HR 9720.
- They must issue a public statement against ICE and other federal agents who are targeting and killing delivery drivers.
- They must state publicly that the “DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” which led to Trump’s federal occupation of the city, should end.
We encourage all DoorDash users who are committed to keeping delivery drivers safe from ICE, protecting our elections, and preventing Trump’s power grabs to delete their accounts today. Learn more about how to delete your DoorDash account here.
Good News for a Change
Last Monday, Gov. Maura Healey signed a bill into law that expands access to abortion care in Massachusetts. The law removes some previous abortion restrictions on the books and will ensure that patients facing serious pregnancy complications will no longer have to leave the Commonwealth to access care.
In a post-Roe landscape, strengthening abortion access and removing barriers to care remains crucial, particularly after Todd Blanche was confirmed as Attorney General. On a private call with faith leaders before his confirmation vote, Blanche claimed that he was working with the White House and federal health agencies to make Dobbs -- the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe -- “permanent in every state.” Blanche also committed to prioritizing putting restrictions on abortion pills via telehealth prescriptions.
Massachusetts’ new law keeps abortion decisions between patients and doctors and rejects the GOP’s willful disinformation about later abortion care. As Trump, Blanche, and state legislatures around the country attempt to further restrict abortion, Massachusetts will remain a beacon for Bay Staters and patients traveling from states where abortion is criminalized or illegal alike.
Upcoming events + Election shifts
These nationwide events, calls, training sessions, and electoral volunteer opportunities are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!
Indivisibles On the Ground
Spotlight of the Week: Arizona
In Arizona, Indivisibles have been testifying city by city in nonpartisan groups to end Flock contracts and cameras. So far, they’ve successfully kicked Flock out of Sedona, Flagstaff, South Tucson, Douglas, Sierra Vista, and Chandler -- and they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
Flock cameras are tools of nationwide mass surveillance that threaten our privacy and civil liberties. More than 120,000 Flock cameras are currently tracking, logging, and sharing our movements without consent or a warrant, from major highways to local neighborhoods. ICE has also asked local police to search Flock’s AI license plate reader, enabling them to target and terrorize immigrants in communities across the US.
Indivisible Rimrock group leader Laura Masters has been leading Arizona’s Stop Flock effort since she found a contract for 12 Flock surveillance cameras buried in the Sedona City budget. Since June 2025, Indivisible Rimrock has partnered with Indivisible Sedona and other local advocates across the political spectrum to provide support and assistance to fellow Indivisible groups in Arizona who are organizing against the cameras in their own communities. Most recently, Indivisible Cottonwood has followed their lead and mounted a vigorous anti-Flock campaign to rid the city of its 11 cameras.
Here’s what Laura had to say about the effort: “Across the political spectrum, people are just sick and tired of massive government surveillance and are standing up to say no. When Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians are passionate and unified City Councils listen.”
Want to get involved in your own community? Find a local Indivisible group here.
P.S. A quick correction: Last week’s On the Ground section about Indiana discussed a massive march for immigrant justice. We misidentified the group that organized the march. It was organized by Fishers Resists.
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