Trump Directs DOJ to Investigate Democrats’ Donation Platform ActBlue
The Morning Buzz: April 25, 2025
1. Trump Directs DOJ to Investigate Democrats’ Donation Platform ActBlue
At Axios, Rebecca Falconer reports that President Donald Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue, the main online donation platform for Democrats, for allegedly facilitating illegal straw donor schemes and foreign contributions. The White House points to findings from Republican-led committees that claim 22 fraud campaigns, half with foreign ties, were linked to the platform – allegations that ActBlue has denounced as “baseless” and “unfounded.” Democratic groups condemn the probe as politically motivated and unlawful. PRRI’s post-election survey finds that only 6% of Democratic voters said they were confident that Trump would not use government power to exact political revenge, compared to 34% of independent voters and 63% of Republican voters.
2. Wrong Turn Leads to Hundreds of Immigrant Arrests at Detroit-Canada Border Bridge
NPR’s Jasmine Garsd covers how the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Canada, is posing difficulties for immigrants without legal status. Since January, 213 people have been detained, often without adequate accommodations or access to legal counsel, after mistakenly approaching or crossing the border. According to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), at least 90% of these cases stemmed from individuals who made a wrong turn and drove onto the bridge by accident. PRRI’s 2024 American Values Survey finds that most Americans (56%) say that “immigrants living in the United States illegally should be given a pathway to become citizens, provided they meet certain requirements.”
3. The Continuing Battle Between Two Visions of Christianity
At
, Editor-in-Chief speaks with PRRI President and Founder , Ph.D., about the resurgence in support for white Christian nationalism and how this represents a continuation of the battle between two different visions of Christianity within the United States. Discussing history included in his most recent book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the imagery of Hernando de Soto ‘discovering the Mississippi’ that can be seen in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Jones explains, “Is the vision about mercy, turning the other cheek, love, compassion, or is it this other vision? […] To be honest, the version of Christianity that lands on the shores of this country is the one about dominance.” Still, Rubin and Jones discuss the alternate vision of the United States as a pluralistic democracy, “where everyone, regardless of religion or race, stands on equal footing before the law,” which Jones points out has strong Christian support as well.4. More Than 2,000 Confederate Symbols Still Standing Across the U.S., Report Says
Cara Tabachnick with CBS News covers a new report that finds more than 2,000 Confederate symbols remain in public spaces across the U.S., including 685 monuments and a mix of government buildings, schools, military sites, and streets named after Confederate figures. The report, published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, comes as the Trump administration has begun reversing some recent renaming efforts by restoring Confederate-associated names to military bases and schools, moves the report notes as setbacks in the broader effort to fully reckon with Civil War memory. A 2024 PRRI survey finds that half of Americans (50%) support preserving the history of the Confederacy, though views on the issue reveal a stark divide along racial and partisan lines.
What’s Buzzing
Watch PRRI President and Founder
, Ph.D., speak with Editor-in-Chief .**Also, don’t forget to register for next Tuesday's webinar about new PRRI survey findings measuring Americans’ views on the first 100 days of the second Trump administration with
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