Over the weekend, the No Kings Coalition said Meta declined to commit to taking steps to prevent automated systems from suspending one of Instagram’s most prominent pro-democracy accounts if activity surged around the page during the midterm elections. A demand for action came after Meta apologized for temporarily suspending the No Kings Instagram account and disabling access for four hours at the peak of an early voting push from the group. In a post on X, Meta’s Andy Stone said the account had been using a Claude AI tool in a way that made it appear to be a bot. But even though automated review detected the error within an hour, Stone acknowledged that additional hurdles kept admins locked out. State and federal lawmakers—as well as a coalition of 14 attorneys general—have asked Meta to further explain its actions. In a letter to No Kings, Meta offered to arrange a meeting with a technical expert who could better explain the mistake. But No Kings rejected the response, saying it failed to address any of the group’s ongoing concerns and requesting a meeting with Meta senior leadership instead. The group stressed that the issue goes beyond its Instagram account, saying that...

In June, Collins—who has described herself as pro-choice—said she did "not regret" her vote to confirm Kavanaugh, falsely claiming that Roe was overturned by a 6-3 margin and was therefore doomed regardless of her vote. In fact, the precedent was overturned by a 5-4 margin, meaning Kavanaugh's vote proved decisive. Now in a dead heat race with Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, who has repeatedly hammered her on abortion rights, Collins has continued to defend her confirmation vote. She's also kept fudging the truth. “I’m very disappointed in his vote to overturn Roe v. Wade,” Collins said of Kavanaugh during an interview published Monday by Maine ABC affiliate WMTW. “There was no way for me to anticipate that.” Collins had, in fact, been warned that Kavanaugh might overturn Roe v. Wade. In her October 5, 2018, speech supporting his confirmation, she explicitly acknowledged “the concern that Judge Kavanaugh would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade” and noted that President Donald Trump had pledged to nominate judges who would do so. Reproductive freedom advocates cautioned her that Kavanaugh was not being truthful when he said he considered Roe to be settled precedent, citing his history of ruling against abortion access and praising...

WILMINGTON — The No Kings protest on Saturday drew familiar faces as local groups and elected officials pushed for residents to vote — and vote early — in this year’s midterm election. “I know all of you are going to vote,” Mayor Bill Saffo, who spoke at the protest for the first time, told attendees. “I know all of you are active. But it’s important to get your family members, your friends, those that care about this country, to get out, to vote.” Early voting began Oct. 15, and state district 18 House of Representative candidate Deb Butler (D) praised early turnout in New Hanover County. “The numbers are incredible,” she said. “We are up 53%.” READ MORE: ‘Devil’s in the implementation’: Scholars, candidates speak to ballot’s 3 constitutional amendments As of Oct. 19, New Hanover County Board of Elections has more than 14,000 people turning out to the polls; the board of elections indicates it’s up 53.4% since 2022 and 43.2% since 2018. It’s the fourth No Kings protest event held in Wilmington in the last two years, along with over 1,500 held nationwide on Oct. 17. Saturday’s event drew the least amount of people, yielding roughly 200 throughout...

Meta locked out the No Kings Coalition's Instagram account in the middle of a nationwide day of action, then pointed the finger at Claude. At about 1:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, October 17, the main Instagram account for the No Kings Coalition went dark. It happened during "No Kings: Vote Early," a day of action with nearly 3,000 events planned across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. ahead of the November midterms. Meta restored the account roughly 90 minutes later and called the takedown an error. But according to Bloomberg, the company's explanation has shifted since then, and the latest version names a surprising culprit: Anthropic's Claude. Meta told reporters that tools connected to Claude were accessing Instagram profiles, posts and hashtags at roughly four times the normal rate. That volume tripped an automated security system built to catch bot networks and coordinated platform abuse. The system did what it was built to do. It just did it to the wrong target. Meta has not said which Claude-based tool was running, or who was operating it. Nor has it said how that tool was connected to the No Kings account in the first place, a gap that has only fed...

Organizers launched more than 2,500 No Kings events across all 50 states and the District of Columbia Saturday, this time focusing their efforts on the midterm elections. From roadside rallies to letter-writing campaigns and protest songs, this round of demonstrations aimed to get people to the polls early. In the bustling and diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, where Bangladeshi street vendors whip up fuska — crispy, potato-filled shells — and Mexican taquerías serve up al pastor and carne asada, volunteers gathered at a popular local restaurant called The Queensboro. The organizers are part of the Jackson Heights chapter of Indivisible, one of the many grassroots organizations that have made No Kings demonstrations happen. Arianne Mayer, 49, cofounded the chapter about two years ago after President Donald Trump was elected to his second term. On this “No Kings: Vote Early Day of Action”, she hands out pens and paper to volunteers to write letters to voters in battleground states, encouraging them to get out and cast their ballots as early as possible. “The practice of mobilization of bodies is really helpful, especially in New York City, where you’re trying to mobilize many thousands of people,” Mayer said. “When you see...

Thousands of people took part in a fresh round of "No Kings" events across the United States on Saturday, with organisers urging voters to cast their ballots early ahead of November's midterm elections. The gatherings were billed as non-partisan events focused on voter participation, marking a shift from earlier demonstrations that had targeted a range of policies under President Donald Trump, including immigration raids, budget cuts and government job cuts. "Voting early is how we use our power," the national "No Kings" coalition said on its website. The coalition includes about 200 organisations, among them the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters. At Piedmont Park, speakers urged people to vote early and encourage others to do the same. Gerald Griggs, a civil rights lawyer, invoked figures including Martin Luther King Jr and John Lewis as he called on the crowd to mobilise voters. "In the spirit of these civil rights icons and the nameless foot soldiers, it's our time," he said. "So go vote early, contact five of your friends, and tell them go vote early." Felicia Murray Jackson, who led a march from the park to a church, spoke about the death of her older...

Signs catalogued a litany of grievances and criticism of President Donald Trump, his cabinet and hangers on at a No Kings event Saturday morning in the square outside the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pennsylvania. The way to halt and reverse the erosion of rights under the Trump administration is to vote, speakers and performers told the crowd of several hundred who gathered in the chilly October weather. “We want our democracy back, and we want it much better than it used to be, too,” Neil Goldstein said as he prepared to lead a group of congregants from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County. They held signs showing milestones in voting rights from the removal of property ownership as a requirement to vote in the 1800s to the “evisceration” of the Voting Right Act in 2026. Near the end of the line Mardys Leeper of Radnor held a placard reading “This November Vote Like Your Rights Depend On It.” “There’s a big move, a scary move to go back on voting rights. We think that’s exactly the wrong way to do it,” Goldstein said. “We want to make it much easier to vote … And the more people who...

Rallies organized by the No Kings network opposed to President Donald Trump were held Saturday in cities and communities across the U.S., with an aim of getting people out to vote early in the midterm elections. The hundreds of planned events were billed as nonpartisan, though they sought to build on nearly two years' worth of No Kings marches and demonstrations by people upset with Trump's presidency. A band entertained what appeared to be a few hundred people in caps and coats at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Despite the chilly weather, many in the crowd danced to the tunes. "VOTE EARLY" and "HANDS OFF MY VOTE!" were among the many signs held aloft. At an Atlanta rally, City Councilman Michael Julian Bond told the crowd to urge others to vote ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. "The Constitution gives you one power, right? That is the power to vote. Are you gonna use that power?" he said. "You don't see Superman giving up his power," Bond continued. "You don't see Black Panther giving up his power. You don't see Wonder Woman giving up her magic lasso. So why would you give up your right, your power, your obligation...

At the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on Saturday, a large inflatable donkey bounced around next to a paper-mache replica of Donald Trump's head. Next to both of them: a sign reading "VOTE EARLY." The donkey, the floating head and the voting sign were all part of the "No Kings: Vote Early" day of action. Thousands of gatherings across the country drew protestors, voters and grassroots organizers to the streets and to voting centers. Organizers said the events were a nonpartisan effort to promote early voting in the midterm elections. The nationwide push to vote marks a pivot for the No Kings coalition, which comprises hundreds of partner organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Voters Matter. "The first three No Kings were designed to send a message," said Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible — one of the major organizations within the No Kings network. "We're done sending a message." Now, he said, they want people to vote. The events looked different across the country. Some were larger marches or rallies, but many were smaller community gatherings such as block parties and cookouts. While some protests, like the one on the steps of the...

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