Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Disparities vary significantly between high- and low-income counties

American College of Cardiology

FacebookXLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

Heart disease mortality is on the rise in California, accelerated by socioeconomic disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized communities, according to a study being presented at ACC Quality Summit 2025 taking place October 14 – 16 in Denver. It’s crucial to align prevention with equity and implement data-driven, community-focused interventions that address this heightened cardiovascular burden in low-income communities, the authors said.

“By using state and federal data, I wanted to identify which risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking remain inadequately addressed by existing interventions,” said Ryan Nazari, the study’s lead author and an independent researcher based in Modesto, California.  “The purpose was not only to measure disparities but also to highlight gaps where current strategies fall short.”

The researchers used data from the CDC WONDER database, the California Department of Public Health and peer-reviewed studies to analyze trends in cardiovascular disease burden across several California counties. The study focused on county-level mortality, income, and prevalence of comorbidities, like hypertension and diabetes, between 2018-2022.

The results found heart disease mortality increased from 141 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018 to 147.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020-2021. Low income, advanced age and male gender had a particularly strong impact on a region’s mortality rate. High rates of hypertension, obesity and diabetes were associated with a higher risk of heart disease mortality.

The mortality rates varied significantly based on the average income of each county. For example, Marin County maintained an average income of $142,785 and had a morality rate of 44 per 100,000 people, while Fresno County had an average income of $71,434 and had a 105.5 mortality rate. Similarly, Kern County maintained an average income of $67,660 and had an 89.2 mortality rate.

“Even though California overall has seen improvements in some cardiovascular health indicators, several counties continue to experience disproportionately high rates of disease and related risk factors,” Nazari said. “These differences highlight that statewide progress has not been consistent, and that interventions must be better tailored to the needs of communities with higher burdens of heart disease.”

Heart disease prevention must address systemic barriers in low-income communities to mitigate these higher cardiovascular risks, the researchers said. Nazari recommended implementing community-based interventions that prioritize expanding education on nutrition, exercise and preventive care and enhanced accessibility to screenings and treatment in underserved areas. Additionally, introducing policy measures that address social drivers of health, such as income inequality and food insecurity, could help alleviate the cardiovascular mortality burden in these high-risk communities.

“I expected to see variation between counties, but I was surprised at how strongly socioeconomic differences correlated with higher heart disease burden. The data showed that inequities are both persistent and widespread, which emphasizes the need for solutions that reach beyond standard medical care,” Nazari said.

While this study focused on California, the authors believe that the findings could resonate more broadly across the United States.

“Many states face similar challenges of rising heart disease burden and uneven access to preventive resources. Because California is large and diverse in terms of socioeconomic conditions and population size, it can act as a useful case study for how health disparities appear elsewhere,” Nazari said.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a global leader dedicated to transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. For more than 75 years, the ACC has empowered a community of over 60,000 cardiovascular professionals across more than 140 countries with cutting-edge education and advocacy, rigorous professional credentials, and trusted clinical guidance. From its world-class JACC Journals and NCDR registries to its Accreditation Services, global network of Chapters and Sections, and CardioSmart patient initiatives, the College is committed to creating a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or connect on social media at @ACCinTouch.

 

Study finds ‘(WO)man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

Florida Atlantic University

FacebookXLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

 

image: 

The study focused on U.S. female veterans and is among the first to examine the impact of working with service dogs in this population.

view more 

Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University

New research finds that “man’s best friend” may help slow biological aging in women. This groundbreaking study, focused on female veterans in the United States, is among the first to examine the impact of working with service dogs on this often-overlooked population. By measuring biological indicators of stress, the researchers have uncovered a key insight: the way stress is felt emotionally doesn’t always reflect how it affects the body at a cellular level.

While women have served in the U.S. military for generations, their roles have expanded dramatically since 1948. Yet despite their growing presence and unique experiences, most military studies still center on  men – even as women report higher rates of PTSD.  

Building on the need for focused research, Florida Atlantic University researchers, in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Nursing, the Medical College of Georgia, and Warrior Canine Connection, Inc., conducted the study involving female veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. But instead of receiving service dogs, these women volunteered to train them for fellow veterans in need – offering support not just to others, but potentially to themselves.

The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, examined whether this purposeful, mission-driven activity could reduce both biological and psychological stress, and whether previous combat exposure influenced those effects. Until now, the emotional and therapeutic benefits of such unique relationships have been largely unexamined in female veterans.

To measure biological stress, researchers looked at telomere length (a marker of cellular aging) using saliva samples, and heart rate variability (HRV), a sign of nervous system balance, using wearable monitors in participants in the service dog training program group or a comparison group that watched dog training videos. Psychological stress was assessed using validated questionnaires measuring PTSD symptoms, perceived stress, and anxiety at multiple points during the study.

Results, published in the journal Behavioral Sciences, revealed promising biological benefits associated with service dog training – particularly for veterans with combat experience – while improvements in psychological symptoms were seen across all participants, regardless of the intervention.

One of the most striking findings involved telomere length. Veterans who participated in the dog-training program showed an increase in telomere length, suggesting a slowing of cellular aging. In contrast, those in the control group exhibited a decrease in telomere length, indicating accelerated aging. Combat experience significantly influenced these results: veterans with combat exposure who trained service dogs experienced the greatest gains in telomere length, whereas those with combat exposure in the control group saw the most pronounced declines.

On the psychological front, both groups – those who trained dogs and those in the control group – reported significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, anxiety and perceived stress over the eight-week period. However, these mental health improvements were similar across groups, suggesting that simply participating in the study and receiving structured attention may have offered therapeutic value. Unlike the biological findings, psychological outcomes did not appear to be affected by combat exposure.

“Female veterans face unique reintegration challenges that are often overlooked, and traditional PTSD treatments don’t always meet their needs,” said Cheryl Krause-Parello, Ph.D., first author, associate vice president for FAU research, associate executive director, FAU I-Health, and director of C-PAWW™. “Nontraditional approaches like connecting with animals can offer meaningful support. These relationships provide emotional safety and stability, which can be especially powerful for women. But not all veterans can care for a service animal, so animal-related volunteerism may offer similar healing benefits without the burden of ownership.”

The study also suggests that the skills learned during service dog training – such as positive reinforcement and reading animal behavior – may have strengthened participants’ bonds with their own pets at home, offering additional emotional support. Unlike general volunteering, service dog training uniquely blends emotional healing with building a close relationship between veterans and their animals, providing therapeutic benefits that go beyond typical community engagement.

“This research underscores the power of service dog training as a meaningful, non-pharmacological intervention to support the health and healing of female veterans with PTSD,” said Krause-Parello. “It opens the door to more personalized approaches that nurture both the mind and body.”

Female veterans aged 32 to 72 were randomly assigned to either the service dog training program group or a comparison group that watched dog training videos. Both groups took part in one-hour sessions each week for eight weeks. Researchers measured outcomes before, during and after the program. 

These findings provide early evidence that non-pharmacological interventions – such as service dog training – may help reduce the physical toll of stress and slow cellular aging in female veterans.

Study co-authors are Erika Friedmann, Ph.D., corresponding author and professor emerita, University of Maryland School of Nursing; Deborah Taber, senior research project coordinator, University of Maryland School of Nursing; Haidong Zhu, M.D., Medical College of Georgia; Alejandra Quintero, a Ph.D. neuroscience student in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science; and Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection, Inc.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University serves more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses along Florida’s Southeast coast. Recognized as one of only 21 institutions nationwide with dual designations from the Carnegie Classification - “R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production” and “Opportunity College and University” - FAU stands at the intersection of academic excellence and social mobility. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, FAU is also nationally recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College and cited by Washington Monthly as “one of the country’s most effective engines of upward mobility.” As a university of first choice for students across Florida and the nation, FAU welcomed its most academically competitive incoming class in university history in Fall 2025. To learn more, visit www.fau.edu.

---

Journal

Behavioral Sciences

DOI

10.3390/bs15091180 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Veterans Training Service Dogs for Other Veterans: An Animal-Assisted Intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

 ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR

Let's be clear about what's on the line today

Today, 51,000 teachers are on strike. This should not come as a shock to anyone, least of all the UCP government, whose chronic underfunding of K-12 education has created a crisis in classrooms across the province.     Conditions in health care are equally turbulent. Neglect, mismanagement, chaos, and outright corruption have been the hallmarks of the UCP’s “stewardship” of our vital public health system. While no health care workers are currently on strike, their concerns about salary and frontline services are far from settled.   Wage stagnation in the public sector is eroding morale and making it difficult to recruit and retain the professional workers needed to keep education and health care sustainable. And unlike what Premier Smith may say, good wages do not come at the expense of services to the public. We can—and must—fund both properly.     Let’s be clear about what is on the line today. Do we want a province in which professionals are paid appropriately, and public services are sustained for current and future generations? That's the province the teachers are fighting for. We are inspired by their courage.   In solidarity, Gil

AFL UPDATES

Raise the minimum wage to $20 NOW! “Under the UCP, living standards are going backwards rapidly. As of today, Alberta’s minimum wage has been frozen for seven years — a badge of shame for a province where the cost of living has skyrocketed. It is time to raise the minimum wage to $20/hour for everyone and index it to inflation so that hard-working Albertans get what they deserve and never again fall so far behind their peers in other provinces.”  Press release on minimum wage  This government’s handling of K-12 education gets an F  “All Alberta children deserve a public education that will set them up for success. The future of this province depends on an educated workforce. Teachers are doing their best. The government is not doing its best. It is time to fix this unproductive dynamic.”  Read the AFL statement on K-12 education    Giving for Gaza  On September 27, the AFL participated in the annual Run for Palestine in Edmonton. We raised over $1,300, helping contribute to a campaign that raised well over $150,000. Even though the news from the Occupied Territories is so bleak and harrowing, we have all been inspired to see the solidarity from Alberta workers. We are also proud that our statement on Palestine has been so well received by others in the labour movement.   AFL statement on Palestine    Avoid shopping at non-unionized Sobeys  “Sobeys’ aggressive move to lock out its employees at a major province-wide distribution centre shows blatant disregard for the bargaining process,” said Gil McGowan. “These 251 workers, members of Teamsters Local 987, deserve far better than this. This is a hugely profitable corporation that has chosen bullying over bargaining."  Read the AFL press release  "If you take on one of us, you take on all of us!"  On September 9, leaders of the Common Front, an umbrella group for all Alberta unions, put the UCP government on notice. "Members of unions like UFCW, AUPE, HSAA, the ATA, the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are not only fighting for themselves; they are fighting for the wages and living standards of all workers in our province. And we will not let them fight alone.”  Read the statement  Abolish the Temporary Foreign Worker Program  The evidence is clear that the TFW program, along with other exploitative guest worker programs like the International Mobility program (IMP), has suppressed wages and is contributing to the unprecedented youth unemployment crisis that is currently gripping our country. If Mr. Poilievre is really such a champion of workers, why didn’t he abolish the program when he actually had the power to do so?”  Read the AFL press release

AFFILIATE ACTIVITY

CUPW: Striking CUPW members currently have hundreds of picket lines across the country, in all provinces and territories. Find the one closest to you and support the postal workers at this critical time.

‘Unhinged Despotism’: Critics Slam Trump’s Willingness to Invoke Insurrection Act

“A Trump-led deployment of federalized guard and active-duty troops to quell a fabricated insurrection inside American cities should only be understood as war on the American people,” said one observer.


President Donald Trump salutes sailors at an event marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy in Norfolk, Virginia on October 5, 2025.
(Photo by White House/X)

Brett Wilkins
Oct 06, 2025
COMMON DREAMS


President Donald Trump on Monday said he was open to invoking the Insurrection Act to put down future civil unrest in US cities, drawing sharp condemnation from legal experts and other critics, some of whom accused the president of trying to foment disorder that would justify his authoritarian actions.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about his deployment of federal forces to Portland, Oregon a day after a federal judge blocked his move to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the peaceful city, Trump said that he did not believe it was necessary to invoke the Insurrection Act yet, but “if I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.”



As Trump Escalates Attacks on Dissent, Oct. 18 ‘No Kings’ Protests Set to Be Even Bigger Than June

Courts, governors, and mayors have all resisted Trump’s efforts to invade Democrat-controlled cities under the pretext of combating crime and unauthorized immigration.

“You look at what’s happening with Portland over the years, it’s a burning hellhole,” Trump baselessly claimed. “And then you have a judge that lost her way that tries to pretend that there’s no problem.”




Trump was referring to US District Judge Karin Immergut—whom he appointed during his first term—after she found that his reasoning regarding his administration’s response to protests at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland were “untethered to facts.“

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a federal law that allows the president to deploy the US military domestically or federalize state National Guard troops to put down any unrest the White House deems to be an uprising.

Trump said Monday that he believes there is a ”criminal insurrection“ in Portland.



White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also contended Monday that there is a ”legal insurrection“ being committed by judges who rule against the Trump administration. Miller said these judges are attacking ”the laws and Constitution of the United States“

Some social media users pointed out that Trump was impeached for a second time for his role in inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday sent a memo to Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek announcing the administration’s federalization of 200 National Guard troops “to protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other US government personnel.”

The memo cited Trump’s deployment earlier this year of 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles—a move that a federal judge ruled was illegal and portends the creation of “a national police force with the president as its chief.”

Kotek responded to the memo by noting that ”there is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. No fires, no bombs, no fatalities due to civil unrest. The only threat we face is to our democracy—and it is being led by President Donald Trump.”

“The only threat we face is to our democracy—and it is being led by President Donald Trump.”

According to The Washington Post, approximately 100 California National Guard troops were sent to Portland after midnight Sunday and around 100 more arrived later in the day. Local leaders and residents said there is no reason for the invasion.

As the Post reported:
Residents of Portland responded to Trump’s description of their city with a mix of indignation and bemusement. “WarRavagedPortland” quickly became a popular social media hashtag on photos and video showing bustling farmers markets, peaceful parks, and sparkling vistas of the Willamette River.

Trump’s remarks followed his speech to hundreds of US generals and admirals last week, in which he declared that the country is “under invasion from within” and that the military leaders should use American cities as “training grounds” to target domestic “enemies.”

The president’s remarks drew warnings of encroaching fascism as his administration expands its invasion and occupation of US communities, from Washington, DC to Chicago to Portland. On Saturday, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) asserted that “Trump’s troops are deliberately attacking peaceful protesters to incite violence.”

Writing for Just Security, former US Navy Undersecretary Janine Davidson argued Monday that Trump’s recent designation of left-wing protesters as “insurrectionists” had “crossed a clear red line in civil-military relations.”

“It is the Insurrection Act he seems keen to invoke, which would give him dictatorial-like powers like we’ve never seen used before in this country—not even in the Civil War,” Davidson said of Trump. “The Civil War was a war between states with militaries fighting on battlefields. A Trump-led deployment of federalized guard and active-duty troops to quell a fabricated insurrection inside American cities should only be understood as war on the American people.”

'This is not The Onion' : MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace taken aback by new Signalgate

Sarah K. Burris
October 6, 2025 

RAW STORY


MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace (Photo: Screen capture)


There's another Signal scandal in President Donald Trump's administration, and it's almost as if it is a story out of the satirical site "The Onion," said MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace on Monday afternoon.

"Another day, another Signal scandal for Pete Hegseth. Screenshots from another text chat suggest administration officials wanted to deploy an elite military division onto the streets of American cities. And they put that in writing, and someone saw it. This is not 'The Onion,'" said Wallace, teasing the segment.

It is the third time Hegseth has been part of a Signal scandal. The first involved his discussion with Cabinet officials over secret war plans. The Signal chat included a reporter, however. The second was the revelation that Hegseth also revealed the classified intelligence to his family on a Signal chat. This makes it the third time Hegseth's Signal chats have been reported publicly.

Wallace said that it's arguably not the most significant part of the story, but there's another Signalgate.

"All right, so let this sink in somehow," Wallace began. "It is arguably the second most egregious part of this new reporting that high-level officials in the Trump administration still appear to be sharing sensitive information in cavalier fashion on the messaging app called Signal.

"Just wait until you hear what they were saying and messaging on Signal," Wallace continued.

She cited a conversation between Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Anthony Salisbury, Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, and Patrick Weaver, senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Hegseth.

It "happened in a crowded space. So crowded and so public, in fact, that someone was able to take pictures of their conversation and catch their exchange and then share them with a reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune so we could all see them contained therein. Among dozens of messages, a discussion about the deployment of the Army's vaunted 82nd Airborne, an elite infantry division, a deployment not to a faraway combat zone, but to the streets of - wait for it - Portland to crack down on."

She noted it shows the lengths that Hegseth is willing to go to in the ongoing takeover of American cities.

Mad King Donald reveals what's driving his Portland obsession — and it's just insane

Robert Reich
October 6, 2025 

RAW STORY

When over the weekend federal Judge Karin Immergut (a Trump appointee) blocked Trump from deploying Oregon’s National Guard to Portland, Trump said she “should be ashamed of herself” because “Portland is burning to the ground.”

Trump promptly ordered the California National Guard to Portland.

Apart from the obvious question of how Trump can so blatantly defy a federal judge, there’s a deeper puzzle here. Where did he get the idea Portland is burning to the ground?

Nine days ago, when Trump first threatened to send troops to Portland, Oregon’s governor, Tina Kotek, told him there was no reason.

“He thinks there are elements here creating an insurrection,” Kotek said after her call with Trump. “I told him there is no insurrection here and that we have this under control.”

Trump responded to Kotek this way:

“I said, ‘Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? … They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place … it looks like terrible.”

Why the factual discrepancy between what Governor Kotek told Trump about Portland and what he believed was happening there?

In the suit seeking an injunction to stop Trump from sending troops to Portland, which Judge Immergut granted, the state of Oregon alleged that Trump relied on videoclips from Portland protests over the murder of George Floyd that took place in 2020.

According to the lawsuit,

On September 5, 2025, “Fox News aired a report on Portland ICE protests that included misleading clips from Portland protests in 2020. Shortly thereafter, President Trump appeared to reference events in the same misleading Fox News report when speaking to the press. A reporter asked which city President Trump planned to send troops to next, and he said he was considering targeting Portland because of news coverage the night before. President Trump alleged that ‘paid terrorists’ and ‘paid agitators’ were making the city unlivable, further stating … ‘if we go to Portland, we’re gonna wipe them out. They’re going to be gone and they’re going to be gone fast.’”

During the hearing on Oregon’s lawsuit, Trump’s Justice Department argued that “the record does show a persistent threat,” offering as evidence a Trump post on Truth Social.

“Really?” asked Judge Immergut. “A social media post is going to count as a presidential determination that you can send the National Guard to cities? That’s really what I should be relying on?”

The Justice Department’s attorneys then cited reports from the Portland Police Bureau that protest crowds were “very energized,” numbering “over 50 to 60” people.


But attorneys for Oregon pointed out that the same police documents showed the protests had become much smaller and subdued — 8 to 15 people at any given time, “mostly sitting in lawn chairs and walking around … Energy was low, minimal activity.”

What can we learn from this mess?

First, Trump is now openly defying the order of a federal court.

Second, the most powerful person in the world apparently decided to use potentially lethal force on Americans on the basis of a five-year-old Fox News clip that crossed his television screen.

Third, Trump evidently does not have a process for getting current, verified information before he makes big decisions.

For over a century, every other president has been at the center of a system of information, flowing from people who have expertise in assessing the relevance and truth of that information — people who provide him with recommendations as to how to respond to a crisis, along with alternatives and assessments of the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.

Trump, by contrast, is making potentially lethal decisions on the basis of whatever happens to be shown on the television he’s watching.

Fourth, although Trump has never thought much about the quality of information he receives before making decisions — in his first term he bragged about his infallible “intuition” — we have every reason to believe he’s becoming demented (see here) and his capacity to think more compromised than ever.

Fifth, to the extent anyone is making decisions in the White House, it’s the troika of Stephen Miller, Russell Vought, and JD Vance — who appear to have taken control over much of what Trump hears and sees (including, perhaps, five-year-old Fox News clips?). Their strategy seems to be aimed at making war on Democratic states.


Which brings me to the sixth point: We should be very concerned. A disturbed man and his fanatical advisors are making potentially life-threatening decisions on the basis of what he sees on television.

He’s also defying a federal court. He’s ordering federal troops to forcefully occupy an American city whose mayor and governor don’t want him to. He’s already causing people — some of whom are American citizens — to be arrested and detained without due process.

He’s also bombing vessels in international waters — killing people whom he claims, without evidence, are smuggling drugs into the United States.

Meanwhile, much of the federal government is shuttered. Republicans in Congress are AWOL. Democrats in Congress are trying to use their limited leverage to get health insurance back for some 20 million Americans.

We’re in trouble, friends.

Trump and his enablers want a violent confrontation in Portland to justify their illegal move. I urge you not to fall into their trap. Don’t protest there.

But do peacefully demonstrate on Oct. 18 — in every town and city across America.
Robert Reich is an emeritus professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/
Robert Reich's new memoir, Coming Up Short, can be found wherever you buy books. You can also support local bookstores nationally by ordering the book at bookshop.org.

'That's pure insurrection': Trump makes startling claim to MAGA TV host

Daniel Hampton
October 6, 2025

RAW STORY

President Donald Trump uncorked a startling remark Monday night, asserting that Portland, Oregon, is committing an "insurrection" as his administration deploys military troops in a controversial attempt to curb crime among American citizens.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the president to send the U.S. military or federalize National Guard units to suppress insurrection, rebellion, or obstruction of federal law enforcement if local authorities can't or won't maintain order.

On Monday night, Newsmax host Greg Kelly asked the president whether he would formally invoke the act.

"Is that a kind of way to get around all this opposition?" asked Kelly.

"Well, it is a way to get around it. If we don't have to use it, I wouldn't use it," Trump replied.

The president then doubled down on his claims that Portland is under siege from violent protesters.

"If you take a look at what's been going on in Portland, it's been going on for a long time. That's insurrection. I mean, that's pure insurrection," he said.

Trump, who previously described the city as "like living hell," then falsely claimed the city is "burning down."

State and local officials have responded to Trump's attacks on Portland, with Mayor Keith Wilson saying in a news release, "We are proud that Portland police have successfully protected freedom of expression while addressing occasional violence and property destruction that takes place during protests at the ICE facility in Portland."

"We anticipate that the site, and the half-block surrounding it, will continue to be a focus of protests. Portland will continue to rise to the moment as a proud sanctuary city, taking legal action to stand up for our community and our rights," he said.

Oregon Attorney Dan Rayfield previously vowed to take Trump to court if he sends troops to Oregon.

"Although some threats from the Trump administration may be new or surprising, this one is not: we’ve been preparing to respond since Trump returned to office," Rayfield said. "We’re actively preparing for various scenarios, in coordination with key partners in Oregon, and our multistate AG coalition."

Trump himself faced accusations of inciting an insurrection in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. However, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team ultimately decided against charging Trump under the federal insurrection law