Annie Comes Home: we make the impossible, possible

Sunday, February 8, 2026

we make the impossible, possible

The Trump administration has been working at breakneck speed, Pamela: Ushering in the new year with an illegal strike on Venezuela and dangerous, half-baked plans to run the country, supercharging a horrible deportation machine to militarize our cities and tear more families apart, and so much more. He's unleashing lethal force to make it happen.

No one has been made safer.

At Win Without War, we are building a world where all people, whether in Minneapolis, Caracas, or beyond, can live free from the threat of violence.

It's no small task, which is why, as we work, we also take the time to reflect and celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small. Because amidst incredible struggles and suffering — and thanks to your support and activism — we are building the kind of power that can turn the tide on Trump's violent authoritarianism, defend our values and our democracy, and protect communities at risk:

Closing the Door on Endless War
24 years ago, Congress authorized the Bush administration to launch a devastating regime-change war in Iraq. As we saw in 2020, when Trump used this decades-old authorization to justify assassinating an Iranian general and pushing us terrifyingly close to war, keeping these outdated AUMFs only leaves them open to misuse and abuse. Last year, we finally wiped a key blank check for endless war — the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force — from our books.

We couldn't have done it without Senators Tim Kaine and Todd Young, Representatives Gregory Meeks and Chip Roy, and the dozens of other members who joined us to secure this repeal. And our deepest gratitude extends to former Representative Barbara Lee, who led the fight to close the door on endless war from the very beginning.

Graphic: 2002 AUMF repeal Win Without War staff with Former Rep. Barbara Lee at a
reception commemorating the repeal of the 2002 AUMF

We're not done: Lee's legacy now extends to further fights that Congress, the public, and organizations like us must push forward. Today, as the Trump administration grafts the legal infrastructure of a failed 'Global War on Terror' onto new, lawless regime-change campaigns targeting Venezuela, Cuba, and beyond, it's clear our work is far from complete.

Reining in this latest White House overreach and passing a new bipartisan resolution from Reps. Jayapal and Massie to repeal the 2001 AUMF — the last key endless war authorization — are the necessary next steps.

Making the "Honor Roll"
In December, our Military Know Your Rights campaign was recognized by The Nation's list of "activists and artists, pastors, and political leaders who have spoken truth to Trump's destructive power and forged a resistance that is evident in mass demonstrations and election results — and in an emerging hope."

Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote:

With the Trump administration putting military personnel at legal, moral, and physical risk through reckless and unnecessary domestic deployments, Win Without War's "Not What You Signed Up For" project has launched a campaign to reach out to National Guard members who have been deployed to DC, Chicago, Memphis, and other cities.

After the Trump administration deployed the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis in violation of state law and against the wishes of local officials, Win Without War posted a billboard advertising NotWhatYouSignedUpFor.org, a website connecting members of the military with information about their rights while in uniform, including how to respond to unlawful orders. (The billboard is visible on Memphis's historic Beale Street, where National Guard troops have recently patrolled.)

The "Not What You Signed Up For" project highlights the work of principled organizations that are experienced in counseling service members, including About Face, the GI Rights Hotline, and the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force. They want troops to know that someone has their back—because the Trump administration doesn't.

Stopping a U.S.-Iran War
Trump's illegal and reckless bombings on Iranian nuclear sites last summer, along with the preceding tit-for-tat violence between the governments of Israel and Iran, were stark reminders of how quickly conflict can escalate — and why our vital work is so important.

Over just a handful of days, as tensions mounted, our small team pulled out all the stops: We quickly mobilized over 70,000 activists to demand Congress pass a War Powers Resolution that would tie Trump's hands. We worked closely with the Congressional Progressive Caucus to brief members of Congress and the press on the dangers of the moment.

Gif showing some of our antiwar billboards

As Trump backed down from his escalatory strategy and an Iran-Israel ceasefire took hold, we co-hosted a mass "Healthcare Not Warfare" call with MoveOn, Indivisible, and Working Families Power, featuring remarks from Senator Tim Kaine, Representative Ro Khanna, and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II from the Poor People's Campaign, who educated thousands of activists about the danger of a U.S.-Iran war and the need to protect life-saving programs like Medicaid.

It's work we need to pick up and dig even deeper into now that Trump has brought us back to the precipice of war with Iran — because we know what we are capable of when we work together, Pamela: Support people, build power, and stop wars.

Which is exactly what we'll keep working to do.

Since Trump's inauguration, we've been stretched in ways we didn't expect. Through it all, we have chosen to show up with our values time and time again — and we're not slowing down through 2026, not for a second.

Together, we'll continue to build a world where people are safe.

Onward.

Thank you for working for peace,
The Win Without War team