🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa050)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/us/hands-off-protests-trump-musk\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/us/hands-off-protests-trump-musk\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk","crawl_time":1775736208,"first_indexed_time":1743931690,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"‘Hands Off!’ protesters rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk | CNN","meta_descriptions":["Over 1,400 protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are expected across all 50 states on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what organizers call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"CNN\n — \nScores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.\nOver\n1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests\nwere held\nat state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!”\ndemands\n“an end to this billionaire power grab.”\n“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers\nstate\n. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”\nAd Feedback\nAd Feedback\nNearly\n600,000 people had signed up\nto attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to\nIndivisible\n, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.\nCNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that\n“millions”\nof people turned up from coast to coast.\nOrganizers say they have\nthree demands\n: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”\nCNN has reached out to the White House for a statement.\nDuring the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.”\n“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”\nRallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.”\n\n“If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.”\nFlorida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies.\n\n“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost\nIn Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.”\nSince Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or\nissued\nimmediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government.\nAnd Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly\nmisleading\nthe public about federal spending.\nHe\nhas also boasted\nthat he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.”\nThey\ndismantled foreign aid programs\nthat support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.\nThe Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits\nto around 73 million Americans\n, is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees.\nTrump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration,\naggressively pressuring ICE\nto pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including\nmistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man\n.\n“They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost.\n“They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added.\nThe Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will\nroll back major climate policies,\nincluding rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action.\nTrump has also ordered\nthe federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights.\nFrost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech.\nThe arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a\nPalestinian refugee\nwhose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech.\n“Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers\nwrote\n. “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.”\nAlthough protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd.\nLafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators.\nThe man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads.\nLafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him.\nTwo federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC.\n“(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.”\nNFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from\nending collective bargaining rights\nfor many federal employees.\n“They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said.\nErwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.”\n“AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said.\nSince taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work.\nAt least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28.\nThe story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers.\nCNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.","attrs_markdown":"Thank You\\!\n\nYour effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.\n\nClose\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[US](https:\/\/cnn.com\/us)\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[More]()\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)   [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)   [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)   [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)   [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)\n***\nEdition\n\n[US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\nEdition\n\n- [US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n***\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n***\nFollow CNN\n\nDownload the CNN App\n***\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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Husband of woman missing in Bahamas arrested. US fertility rate drops.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/04\/09\/us\/5-things-to-know-for-april-9-us-iran-ceasefire-bondi-epstein-deposition-missing-woman-arrest-viktor-orban-americans-on-space)\n\n# ‘Hands Off!’ protesters across US rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk\n[![Alaa Elassar](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/alaa-elassar)   [![Shania Shelton](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/shania-shelton)\n\nBy [Alaa Elassar](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/alaa-elassar), [Shania Shelton](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/shania-shelton) and Mina Allen, CNN\n\n7 min read\n\nUpdated 2:48 PM EDT, Sun April 6, 2025\n\nLink Copied\\!\n\nFollow:\n\nDonald Trump\n\n[See your latest updates](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=follow_see_all_article&source=acq_web_experiments_follow_card-social-bar-all)\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nSubtitles\n\n- Off\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\n‘Elon Musk has got to go’: Protesters rally worldwide against Musk, Trump\n\n01:50   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n‘Elon Musk has got to go’: Protesters rally worldwide against Musk, Trump\n\n01:50\n\nCNN\n\n—\n\nScores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.\n\nOver [1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests](https:\/\/www.mobilize.us\/handsoff\/map\/) were heldat state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” [demands](https:\/\/handsoff2025.com\/about) “an end to this billionaire power grab.”\n\n“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers [state](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0). “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nNearly [600,000 people had signed up](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/indivisibleguide\/videos\/656469220709150) to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to [Indivisible](https:\/\/indivisible.org\/), one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.\n\nCNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that [“millions”](https:\/\/handsoff2025.com\/millions-turn-out) of people turned up from coast to coast.\n\nOrganizers say they have [three demands](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0): “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”\n\nCNN has reached out to the White House for a statement.\n\n![Protesters gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the nationwide \"Hands Off!\" protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nProtesters gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the nationwide \"Hands Off!\" protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday.\n\nTim Evans\/AFP via Getty Images\n## State representatives speak at protests\nDuring the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.”\n\n“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”\n\nRallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.”\n\n****“If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.”\n\nFlorida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies.\n\n****“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost\n\nIn Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.”\n\nSince Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or [issued](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/14\/politics\/probationary-federal-employees-agencies-firings-doge\/index.html) immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government.\n\nAnd Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly [misleading](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/23\/politics\/government-spending-elon-musk-doge\/index.html) the public about federal spending.\n\nHe [has also boasted](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/06\/politics\/trump-power-grabs-analysis\/index.html) that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.”\n\n[![Protesters opposing billionaire Elon Musk gather outside a Tesla dealership in Acton, London, Britain, March 29, 2025.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters opposing billionaire Elon Musk gather outside a Tesla dealership in Acton, London, Britain, March 29, 2025. Jaimi Joy\/Reuters Related article Over 200 ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests take place throughout US on ‘Global Day of Action’ against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/29\/business\/tesla-takedown-elon-musk-doge)\n\nThey [dismantled foreign aid programs](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/15\/politics\/trump-administration-cuts-democracy-support-programs\/index.html) that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.\n\nThe Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits [to around 73 million Americans](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/04\/politics\/video\/trump-social-security-doge-digvid), is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees.\n\nTrump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, [aggressively pressuring ICE](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/07\/politics\/ice-arrests-pressure\/index.html) to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including [mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/01\/politics\/maryland-father-mistakenly-deported-el-salvador-prison\/index.html).\n\n“They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost.\n\n“They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added.\n\nThe Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will [roll back major climate policies,](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/12\/climate\/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks\/index.html) including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. [Trump has also ordered](https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/protecting-second-amendment-rights\/) the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights.\n\n![People hold up placards during a protest against US President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk in central London on April 5, 2025, as part of an International day of protest called \"Hands off!\".](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nPeople hold up placards during a protest against US President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk in central London on April 5, 2025, as part of an International day of protest called \"Hands off!\".\n\nHenry Nicholls\/AFP via Getty Images\n\nFrost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech.\n\nThe arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a [Palestinian refugee](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/11\/us\/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-ice-green-card-hnk\/index.html) whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech.\n\n“Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers [wrote](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0). “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.”\n\nAlthough protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd.\n\nLafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators.\n\nThe man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads.\n\nLafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him.\n\n## Labor union presidents speak out\nTwo federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC.\n\n“(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.”\n\nNFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from [ending collective bargaining rights](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/28\/politics\/executive-order-collective-bargaining-national-security\/index.html) for many federal employees.\n\n“They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said.\n\nErwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.”\n\n“AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said.\n\nSince taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work.\n\nAt least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28.\n\n*The story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers.*\n\nCNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - [Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n  - [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n  - [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n  - [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n- [World](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world)\n  - [Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)\n  - 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All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n![CNN Logo](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn.svg)\n\n## Legal Terms and Privacy\nBy clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.\n\nBy clicking \"Agree\", you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms) and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy).\n\n[Agree](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/05\/us\/hands-off-protests-trump-musk)","attrs_readable_markdown":"CNN —\n\nScores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.\n\nOver [1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests](https:\/\/www.mobilize.us\/handsoff\/map\/) were heldat state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” [demands](https:\/\/handsoff2025.com\/about) “an end to this billionaire power grab.”\n\n“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers [state](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0). “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nNearly [600,000 people had signed up](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/indivisibleguide\/videos\/656469220709150) to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to [Indivisible](https:\/\/indivisible.org\/), one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.\n\nCNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that [“millions”](https:\/\/handsoff2025.com\/millions-turn-out) of people turned up from coast to coast.\n\nOrganizers say they have [three demands](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0): “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”\n\nCNN has reached out to the White House for a statement.\n\nDuring the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.”\n\n“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”\n\nRallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.”\n\n****“If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.”\n\nFlorida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies.\n\n****“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost\n\nIn Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.”\n\nSince Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or [issued](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/14\/politics\/probationary-federal-employees-agencies-firings-doge\/index.html) immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government.\n\nAnd Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly [misleading](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/23\/politics\/government-spending-elon-musk-doge\/index.html) the public about federal spending.\n\nHe [has also boasted](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/06\/politics\/trump-power-grabs-analysis\/index.html) that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.”\n\nThey [dismantled foreign aid programs](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/15\/politics\/trump-administration-cuts-democracy-support-programs\/index.html) that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.\n\nThe Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits [to around 73 million Americans](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/04\/politics\/video\/trump-social-security-doge-digvid), is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees.\n\nTrump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, [aggressively pressuring ICE](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/07\/politics\/ice-arrests-pressure\/index.html) to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including [mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/01\/politics\/maryland-father-mistakenly-deported-el-salvador-prison\/index.html).\n\n“They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost.\n\n“They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added.\n\nThe Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will [roll back major climate policies,](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/12\/climate\/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks\/index.html) including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. [Trump has also ordered](https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/protecting-second-amendment-rights\/) the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights.\n\nFrost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech.\n\nThe arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a [Palestinian refugee](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/11\/us\/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-ice-green-card-hnk\/index.html) whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech.\n\n“Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers [wrote](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY\/edit?tab=t.0). “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.”\n\nAlthough protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd.\n\nLafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators.\n\nThe man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads.\n\nLafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him.\n\nTwo federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC.\n\n“(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.”\n\nNFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from [ending collective bargaining rights](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/28\/politics\/executive-order-collective-bargaining-national-security\/index.html) for many federal employees.\n\n“They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said.\n\nErwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.”\n\n“AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said.\n\nSince taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work.\n\nAt least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28.\n\n*The story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers.*\n\nCNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.","meta_canonical":null}

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URL	https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/us/hands-off-protests-trump-musk
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Meta Title	‘Hands Off!’ protesters rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk \| CNN
Meta Description	Over 1,400 protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are expected across all 50 states on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what organizers call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.
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Boilerpipe Text	CNN — Scores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. Over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.” “Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state . “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.” Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to Indivisible , one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates. CNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that “millions” of people turned up from coast to coast. Organizers say they have three demands : “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.” CNN has reached out to the White House for a statement. During the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.” “Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Rallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.” “If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies. “Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost In Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.” Since Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or issued immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government. And Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly misleading the public about federal spending. He has also boasted that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.” They dismantled foreign aid programs that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy. The Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits to around 73 million Americans , is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees. Trump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, aggressively pressuring ICE to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man . “They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost. “They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added. The Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will roll back major climate policies, including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. Trump has also ordered the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights. Frost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech. The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian refugee whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech. “Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers wrote . “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.” Although protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd. Lafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators. The man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads. Lafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him. Two federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC. “(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.” NFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from ending collective bargaining rights for many federal employees. “They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said. Erwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.” “AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said. Since taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work. At least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28. The story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers. CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
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Husband of woman missing in Bahamas arrested. US fertility rate drops.](https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/09/us/5-things-to-know-for-april-9-us-iran-ceasefire-bondi-epstein-deposition-missing-woman-arrest-viktor-orban-americans-on-space) # ‘Hands Off!’ protesters across US rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk [![Alaa Elassar](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/alaa-elassar) [![Shania Shelton](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/shania-shelton) By [Alaa Elassar](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/alaa-elassar), [Shania Shelton](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/shania-shelton) and Mina Allen, CNN 7 min read Updated 2:48 PM EDT, Sun April 6, 2025 Link Copied\! Follow: Donald Trump [See your latest updates](https://www.cnn.com/follow?iid=follow_see_all_article&source=acq_web_experiments_follow_card-social-bar-all) Unable to load video Please try again later. Error occurred while fetching labs Subtitles - Off Video Ad Feedback ‘Elon Musk has got to go’: Protesters rally worldwide against Musk, Trump 01:50 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ‘Elon Musk has got to go’: Protesters rally worldwide against Musk, Trump 01:50 CNN — Scores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. Over [1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests](https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/map/) were heldat state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” [demands](https://handsoff2025.com/about) “an end to this billionaire power grab.” “Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers [state](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0). “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.” Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Nearly [600,000 people had signed up](https://www.facebook.com/indivisibleguide/videos/656469220709150) to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to [Indivisible](https://indivisible.org/), one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates. CNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that [“millions”](https://handsoff2025.com/millions-turn-out) of people turned up from coast to coast. Organizers say they have [three demands](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0): “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.” CNN has reached out to the White House for a statement. ![Protesters gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the nationwide "Hands Off!" protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the nationwide "Hands Off!" protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday. Tim Evans/AFP via Getty Images ## State representatives speak at protests During the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.” “Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Rallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.” “If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies. *“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost In Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.” Since Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or [issued](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/politics/probationary-federal-employees-agencies-firings-doge/index.html) immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government. And Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly [misleading](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/23/politics/government-spending-elon-musk-doge/index.html) the public about federal spending. He [has also boasted](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/politics/trump-power-grabs-analysis/index.html) that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.” [![Protesters opposing billionaire Elon Musk gather outside a Tesla dealership in Acton, London, Britain, March 29, 2025.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Protesters opposing billionaire Elon Musk gather outside a Tesla dealership in Acton, London, Britain, March 29, 2025. Jaimi Joy/Reuters Related article Over 200 ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests take place throughout US on ‘Global Day of Action’ against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/business/tesla-takedown-elon-musk-doge) They [dismantled foreign aid programs](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/15/politics/trump-administration-cuts-democracy-support-programs/index.html) that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy. The Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits [to around 73 million Americans](https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/04/politics/video/trump-social-security-doge-digvid), is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees. Trump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, [aggressively pressuring ICE](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/07/politics/ice-arrests-pressure/index.html) to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including [mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man](https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/politics/maryland-father-mistakenly-deported-el-salvador-prison/index.html). “They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost. “They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added. The Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will [roll back major climate policies,](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/climate/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks/index.html) including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. [Trump has also ordered](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/protecting-second-amendment-rights/) the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights. ![People hold up placards during a protest against US President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk in central London on April 5, 2025, as part of an International day of protest called "Hands off!".](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) People hold up placards during a protest against US President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk in central London on April 5, 2025, as part of an International day of protest called "Hands off!". Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images Frost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech. The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a [Palestinian refugee](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/11/us/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-ice-green-card-hnk/index.html) whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech. “Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers [wrote](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0). “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.” Although protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd. Lafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators. The man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads. Lafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him. ## Labor union presidents speak out Two federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC. “(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.” NFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from [ending collective bargaining rights](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/28/politics/executive-order-collective-bargaining-national-security/index.html) for many federal employees. “They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said. Erwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.” “AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said. Since taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work. At least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28. The story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers.* CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report. 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Readable Markdown	CNN — Scores of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. Over [1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests](https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/map/) were heldat state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” [demands](https://handsoff2025.com/about) “an end to this billionaire power grab.” “Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers [state](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0). “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.” Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Nearly [600,000 people had signed up](https://www.facebook.com/indivisibleguide/videos/656469220709150) to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to [Indivisible](https://indivisible.org/), one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates. CNN has not been able to independently verify how many people attended Saturday’s demonstrations, but “Hands Off!” organizers say that [“millions”](https://handsoff2025.com/millions-turn-out) of people turned up from coast to coast. Organizers say they have [three demands](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0): “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.” CNN has reached out to the White House for a statement. During the Hands Off! protest in Washington, DC, multiple representatives took to the podium to speak about the Trump administration, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said there is no future with a president who has “the politics of Mussolini and the economics of Herbert Hoover.” “Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Rallygoers traveled from across the country in a show of force at the nation’s capital over concerns of the administration’s policies. Demonstrators on the National Mall chanted, “Hey ho, Trump’s gotta go,” while holding signs reading “Protect our Constitution” and “Hands off our rights.” **“If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it,” said Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at the Washington protest. “If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost also spoke, urging people to take action by protesting, donating to mutual aid, participating in direction action and focusing on legislative strategies. *“Throughout human history, authoritarians, they’re never satisfied with the power they have, and so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they’re quiet or if they’re loud,” said Frost In Los Angeles, protesters marched along a 1-mile loop toward City Hall, chanting “Power to the People” and wielding signs with messages like “Hands Off Education” and “Resist, Resist.” Since Trump took office, his administration has been vocal about its efforts to cut federal spending, regardless of who it may harm. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or [issued](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/politics/probationary-federal-employees-agencies-firings-doge/index.html) immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the federal government. And Musk, the world’s richest man, has aggressively pushed policies to reduce spending as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, all while repeatedly [misleading](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/23/politics/government-spending-elon-musk-doge/index.html) the public about federal spending. He [has also boasted](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/politics/trump-power-grabs-analysis/index.html) that he put USAID — an agency that feeds some of the world’s poorest, most desperate people and has saved millions of lives — “in the wood chipper.” They [dismantled foreign aid programs](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/15/politics/trump-administration-cuts-democracy-support-programs/index.html) that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy. The Social Security Administration, responsible for monthly benefits [to around 73 million Americans](https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/04/politics/video/trump-social-security-doge-digvid), is now in turmoil after a massive reorganization, including cutting thousands of employees. Trump and his team have also taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, [aggressively pressuring ICE](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/07/politics/ice-arrests-pressure/index.html) to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans despite the administration making multiple missteps in recent weeks, including [mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man](https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/politics/maryland-father-mistakenly-deported-el-salvador-prison/index.html). “They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they’re the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go and union bust,” said Frost. “They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they’re the ones dismantling public education. They’re the ones denying the climate crisis. They’re the ones poisoning our planet. They’re the ones doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence,” Frost added. The Trump administration has frequently questioned climate science and said it will [roll back major climate policies,](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/climate/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks/index.html) including rules that target pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on clean air, clean water and climate action. [Trump has also ordered](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/protecting-second-amendment-rights/) the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights. Frost called the current state of politics in America an “insidious rise of authoritarianism” fueled by “corrupt billionaires and mega corporations” who think they have a right to control all aspects of the lives of their citizens, including freedom of speech. The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a [Palestinian refugee](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/11/us/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-ice-green-card-hnk/index.html) whose green card was revoked over his involvement in demonstrations at Columbia University, has raised chilling questions about whether people can truly exercise their constitutionally protected right to free speech. “Our communities are paying the price while the Trumps and Musks of the world cash in. It’s not just about money – it’s about power,” Hands Off! organizers [wrote](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Eh5ulVjWt1psjm-HwwLyJ1EAHYJHFdO4MBgq3lp4HY/edit?tab=t.0). “This administration is targeting everybody who isn’t part of the 1% – veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents. All to consolidate power and reward their allies.” Although protests across the country were largely peaceful, in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, a man took a long gun out of his car and approached the crowd. Lafayette Police say the man attempted to make a lawful turn at an intersection near the Tippecanoe County Courthouse but was blocked by protesters in the street. The man got out of his truck and, according to the police statement, was headbutted by a protester after tensions escalated between him and the crowd of demonstrators. The man then returned to the truck and got a gun from his vehicle, which he later described as an act of self-defense, before placing it back in his truck, the statement reads. Lafayette police officers detained the man after receiving reports that he had pointed the weapon at protesters. However, police said that after investigating the incident, they determined he had not aimed the firearm at anyone and released him. Two federal employee union presidents spoke out on Saturday against Trump and his policies targeting federal workers at the protest in DC. “(The) Trump administration is absolutely destroying public services in this country. That’s right. They claim to be making government more efficient,” said National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy Erwin. “That is a joke, people. That is a cruel joke. They’re doing the exact opposite.” NFFE and the American Federation of Government Employees are a part of a coalition of unions that filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in San Francisco this week seeking to stop the Trump administration from [ending collective bargaining rights](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/28/politics/executive-order-collective-bargaining-national-security/index.html) for many federal employees. “They thought we were easy targets. But let me tell you something about union members and veterans. We will not be intimidated. I’m a veteran myself. I’m an Army veteran. We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said. Erwin called the move by the Trump administration “the biggest assault on collective bargaining that we have ever seen in this country.” “AFGE has been in the courts, in the media, in Congress, and here with you on the street. And not only are we in the court, but we are kicking their behind while we’re in the court, and we’re going to continue to kick their behind,” Kelley said. Since taking office, Trump has sought to reshape the federal workforce. In one of his earliest moves, he ended remote work for government employees and agencies were provided guidance on how they can override union collective bargaining agreements on telework and remote work. At least 121,361 workers have been fired from federal agencies so far, as of CNN’s latest tally on March 28. The story has been updated to indicate the crowd estimate is from the event organizers.* CNN’s Julia Vargas Jones reported from Los Angeles. CNN’s Julianna Bragg and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
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