Trump pulled the US out of the World Health Organization; today Gavin Newsom announced

[senseandsensibility]

that the state of California will join it. Defying trump and standing up. As a Californian, I am proud of him. I hope other states follow.

[PikaBlue]

1. I wish Maryland would as well.

I have former students working at the NIH, the CDC, a world renowned vaccine development center, Walter Reed, and many other medical centers and biomedical research institutions. This administration has really derailed the contributions that they were making and could continue to make. One of my former female students singlehandedly established a micro lab in Sierra Leon on behalf of the US Government during the Ebola outbreak.

[QueerDuck]

15. I hope we do.

[spanone]

2. Thank you Governor Newsom

[Chasstev365]

3. Love it!

[dickthegrouch]

4. Please follow California's leadership, Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani

The more large population States and cities follow this, the more we can undermine the cabal's effectiveness.

[dalton99a]

5. Excellent.

[SunSeeker]

6. Proud of my Governor Newsom!

[RockCreek]

7. I suggest state consortiums for the smaller states

For example, New England.
And if, for example, NH did not join, it would still be a New England Consortium.

[obamanut2012]

8. So glad he's my Governor

[Brother Buzz]

9. There's a reason why Gavin Newsom lives in the marmalade shartcannon's head rent free.

[Bettie]

10. Iowa definitely won't

our state government really would like us all dead...

[senseandsensibility]

11. I'm sorry

Didn't mean to rub it in. I am happy that Newsom can and is doing this but if you live in a red state, it must be difficult to hear about it. I hope things start to change if we take back the House.

[Bettie]

17. I'm fine

I accept the reality of this state while working with my county patent to change it. We were a purple state, we can get there again

[DFW]

19. Only until you elect Rob Sand as your next Governor

In a little over nine months, you will get your chance.

[Bettie]

24. I hope so

He isn’t as liberal as I would like, but he is scrupulously honest. He also has no illusions about who the republicans in this state are, so he will be a great governor.

[byronius]

12. Go Newsom!

[tfury653]

13. Money?

Trump always uses the excuse the USA is putting too much money into the organization and those organizations would not exist without our contributions. My question is where is the money we are saving now going? Heard that trump has a secret account in Qatar and is funneling a lot of cash to it. The proceeds from the oil tankers seized from venezuela have been deposited into the account. republicans are acting like nothing is going on while the rest of us are pulling our hair out trying to get a response. Talking to maga is like a bee telling a fly it is better to eat honey then shit.

[Pinback]

23. It's all flowing "upward" to the Trump cabal.

He’s like the saturated fat at the top of the new food pyramid. The toxic apex predator.

[Bluetus]

14. Absolutely. And while Trump is trying to form his Merry Band of Dictators to upend the UN,

Newsom should invite the major blue states to join a coalition that will represent the US at the W.H.O., the Climate Summits, and other international bodies Trump has pulled out of.

That would flip the script. We should not be afraid of the idea of a "soft secession". That is the kind of bold move that will shake up the corporate world to stop the Trump madness.

I bet these states would join Newsom, and it wouldn't cost them a billion dollars to join, either: Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and some others. That list of states is 45% of the US GDP. Throw in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and you have more than half the country's GDP.

Call it the Alliance of Progressive States.

Let Trump sue those states and take it to the SCOTUS. And the answer should be exactly the same as when Trump faces a ruling: "Who is going to enforce that?" This coalition could very easily represent the US at the important gatherings all the way through the 2028 elections, and make meaningful steps toward salvaging the relationships with our allies.

There are a bunch of them:

* World Health Organization (WHO)
* Paris Climate Agreement
* UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
* UN Human Rights Council
* Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
* Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
* UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
* International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

[AllaN01Bear]

16. ""

[Nixie]

18. I'm so glad Newsom is acting like a shadow president. That's just

what we need. Trump was constantly in the news about Biden, lying his ass off. Newsom is absolutely doing the right thing by undercutting trump’s disgraceful moves with sanity.

I am proud of Newsom, too. He’s been a real force.

[OnionPatch]

20. I hope Virginia does the same

We have a new governor and the blue trifecta. Go for it Abigail! And kudos to Newsom!

[barbtries]

22. I love that for you.

here in purple NC, where the worst possible republicans rule, I have little hope for anything good.

[barbtries]

21. i've been letting my kids know

that there are 2 events that will get me moving back to CA: civil war, and California's secession from the USA.

i think both are unlikely but possible. I am so fucking homesick, but here in NC I own a home, which was never going to happen in CA. I have children here and there. Even now I'm not sure how my standard of living would change if I moved back home.

This is a good move in so many ways. Public Health will improve in CA with the guidance of WHO.