The strike paralyzes large swathes of the country. Ports are periodically closed, and teamsters sometimes refuse to move imports. Wherever Trump travels, roads are blocked and transportation grinds to a standstill. Millions of students walk out of school and attend “strike schools.” Some websites shut down, and others are taken down by hackers. Many major retail chains — worried about a cocktail of violence and retribution — preemptively shut down, adding to the effectiveness of the strike. After a particularly rough week, Wall Street trading is suspended for 2 days.
Newspapers report about the economic pain. Trump blames the protestors for causing more chaos. Strike leaders remain firm, “Until we have actionable commitments for a free and fair elections — we hold the line.” With so many people off from work, streets are filled with protests daily.
The Supreme Court takes up an emergency petition to force the state to carry out elections. Surprising cynics, they return an order relatively quickly, ruling that elections must go forward. Trump lambasts the decision: “PURE POLITICS.”
