Author: BruceR

4 tips for developing critical thinking skills

By: Steve Pearlman, Ph.D

Publisher: TEDx Talks, TEDxCapeMay

“Critical thinking” increasingly stands as the most sought-after skill that has long been too fleeting to define. Employers rate it as a pinnacle skill, but one of which they see too little, and educators claim to teach it, but over half of Millennials recently failed a simple Mindedge critical thinking test. So, what is critical thinking? Analysis? Information literacy? Thinking outside the box? Informal logic? Problem-solving? Evaluating data? Decision science? What if all of our efforts to define critical thinking as above have been the core problem with teaching it?

What if, instead of using our brains to devise conceptions of critical thinking, we eliminated the noise and revolutionized a way to teach people how to think better by tracing critical thinking back to its core evolutionary survival mechanisms?

What are the basic survival skills for all organisms?

  1. Perceive their environment
  2. Sense danger vs. reward
  3. Decide between danger and reward
  4. Act on the decision

Warren Reads 100 Acts of Trump Corruption Into Congressional Record To Mark 100 Days of the Trump Administration

“[I]nstead of following through on his promise [to lower costs], Trump and his administration have paved the way for the president, his top officials, and his billionaire buddies to personally feed at the trough of government corruption.”

“That’s 100 corrupt acts in 100 days. Americans deserve accountability. We need to fight back—all of us.”

by: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Washington, D.C. – On the 100th day of this Trump administration, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) read 100 reports of corruption from President Trump’s term so far into the Congressional record. 

Senator Warren pointed to all the ways President Trump, his family, and associates like Elon Musk have used the presidency to enrich themselves, give favors to donors, and made it more difficult to hold him accountable for corruption. 

Transcript: “One Hundred Days, One Hundred Acts of Corruption”
U.S. Senate Floor
April 29, 2025

As Prepared for Delivery

Senator Elizabeth Warren: So here we are: one hundred days; one hundred acts of corruption.

Today, I’m reading into the congressional record 100 reports of corruption from Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. When he ran for office, Trump promised repeatedly that he would lower costs “on day 1.”  But instead of following through on his promise, Trump and his administration have paved the way for the president, his top officials, and his billionaire buddies to personally feed at the trough of government corruption. 

So, count with me: In just one hundred days, Donald Trump, his family, and his Administration have:

See the List

A More Perfect Union

A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community
By Adam Russell Taylor
Recommended by: Bob
Publisher: Broadleaf Books

Thinking about alternatives is an important part of the One Million Rising training. In the words of the president of Sojourners, Adam Russell Taylor, whom I heard speak recently, to build a “more perfect union,” we need to be focusing on three priorities: Blocking, Bridging, and Building. We are focused a lot on Blocking bad things happening, but have little power to do that. In the future, we can work on Bridging, but that will take a very long time and will entail millions of one-on-one relationships.

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In Trump’s Alternate Reality, Lies and Distortions Drive Change

Condoms for Gaza? Ukraine started the war with Russia? The president’s manipulations of the truth lay the groundwork for radical change.

by Peter Baker

Publisher: The New York Times

Mr. Trump has long been unfettered by truth when it comes to boasting about his record and tearing down his enemies. But what were dubbed “alternative facts” in his first term have quickly become a whole alternative reality in his second to lay the groundwork for radical change as he moves to aggressively reshape America and the world.

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Some Actions That Are Not Protesting or Voting

Some examples:

ANTI-CRIMINALIZATION

COMMUNITY DEFENSE/MIGRANT JUSTICE

Click Here for the Full List

(Archive Link)

This came from the Mutula Aid 101 course.

Mutual Aid 101: Solidarity, Survival, and Resistance

How to Organize Our Way Out of the Trump-Musk Putsch

A plan to harness grassroots energy—and to hold Democratic leaders accountable.

by Ezra Levin, Leah Greenberg

Summary

Indivisible founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, wrote this inspiring article for The Nation. Reviewed by Rachael Maddow.

Continue reading How to Organize Our Way Out of the Trump-Musk Putsch

505001

50501 is a peaceful movement. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated.

50501 is a national movement made up of everyday Americans
who stand for democracy, and who stand against the authoritarian
actions of the Trump Administration. The name 50501 stands for
50 States, 50 Protests, 1 Movement.

The 50501 movement is a grassroots effort, meaning it’s
powered by everyday people, not by politicians or political parties.
Most of the work happens at the local level, where volunteers
in local city or state groups organize protests, advertise events,
and handle logistics. These local groups are the lifeblood of the
movement and exist both online and in-person.
In addition to local level organizing, national coordination
between 50501 groups allows us to establish cohesive messaging,
decide dates of action, and share resources. This coordination is
decentralized, therefore, 50501 has no true leadership

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Voter ID Requirement CA Poll

Public Opinion Strategies recently completed a survey of 800 likely voters in California. The survey was conducted January 19-22, 2025, and has a margin of error of ±3.46%. The memo below outlines some key findings from the survey.

Support for a voter ID requirement enjoys broad, bipartisan support in California.

  • Support for voter ID is both wide AND deep: 68% of Californians support a voter ID requirement, with a majority of voters (51%) STRONGLY supporting it.
Get the PDF

From: Public Opinion Strategies

Trump Administration Litigation Tracker

This project includes two tables that follow legal challenges to the actions from the Trump administration: the Lawfare Litigation Tracker and the Alien Enemies Act Proclamation: State of Play table.

Publisher: Lawfare

Recommended by: Bruce R.

The Litigation Tracker table tracks legal challenges to the Trump administration’s executive actions that deal with national security issues, as well as cases on behalf of the Trump administration to enforce them. You can sort the table by clicking the column titles and query keywords using the search box in the top left of the table. The table has the case name, what executive action is being challenged, the status of the case, and a summary of the litigation being brought. View an explanation of the statuses below.

The Alien Enemies Act Proclamation: State of Play table tracks the ongoing litigation challenging deportations under President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act.

See the Table

The Lawfare Litigation Tracker Includes:

  • 239 active cases challenging Trump administration actions (this numbers consider a suit filed in district court and appeals that arise from the original suit as one case)
  • 21 suits by the Trump administration challenging state or local laws
  • 17 Supreme Court stays or orders to vacate lower court orders
  • 1 Supreme Court affirmation of a lower court order
  • 8 suits where judges ruled for the federal government in a summary judgment or by dismissing a suit
  • 9 suits where judges ruled against the federal government in a summary judgment or permanent injunction
  • 6 criminal prosecutions by the Department of Justice (Rep. McIver, former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Congressional candidate Katherine Abughazaleh)
Lawfare

Outraged

Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground

By Kurt Gray

Publisher: Pantheon

It’s easy to assume that liberals and conservatives have radically different moral foundations. In Outraged, Kurt Gray showcases the latest science to demonstrate that we all have the same moral mind—that everyone’s moral judgments stem from feeling threatened or vulnerable to harm.

We all care about protecting ourselves and the vulnerable. Conflict arises, however, when we have different perceptions of harm. We get outraged when we disagree about who the “real” victim is, whether we’re talking about political issues, fights with our in-laws, or arguments on the playground.

In this fascinating and insightful tour of our moral minds, Gray tackles popular myths that prevent us from understanding ourselves and those around us. While it is commonly believed that our ancestors were apex predators, Gray argues that for the majority of our evolutionary history, humans were more hunted than hunter. This explains why our minds are hard-wired to perceive threats, and provides surprising insights on the scientific origins of our values and beliefs. Though we might think ourselves driven by objective reasoning, Gray unveils new research that finds our moral judgments are based on gut feelings rather than rational thought, and presents a compelling reminder that we are more alike than we might think.

Drawing on groundbreaking research, Gray provides a captivating new explanation for our moral outrage, and unpacks how to best bridge divides. If you want to understand the morals of the “other side,” ask yourself a simple question—what harms do they see?

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Today’s Edition Newsletter, Robert B. Hubbell

A reflection on today’s news through the lens of hope.
By Robert B. Hubbell

Recommended by Bob.

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Indivisible Mid-Peninsula

Be a part of the movement to restore democracy in our country
Community Organized Activism

Indivisible Mid-Peninsula is the local branch of Indivisible, encompassing the area between Menlo Park and Belmont on the San Francisco Peninsula. We welcome members from other areas as well! Our mission is to:

  • Find ways to resist and slow the MAGA agenda
  • encourage and exert pressure on our local, state, and national elected officials to promote social justice and resist Trumpism
  • Unify and support communities under threat
  • Build a powerful grassroots movement to achieve electoral victories in 2026 and beyond

Our goal is to create a community in which pro-democracy advocates find opportunities to engage and have an impact at whatever level works for them. We’re committed to taking action that will lead to a more perfect union, where “justice for all” is more than a platitude.

We meet as a community on the 4th Wednesday of the month to learn ways to be effective in supporting those targeted by Trump’s policies and determine the most impactful actions we can take in our fight for democracy. 

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Photographic Evidence is Dead

Fake Image, Fake NEWS, Fake Trust.

By: Turtle Engineer (AKA: Bruce Rafnel)

Publisher: Medium, Slow Engineering

We have now witnessed the death of almost 200 years of photographic (and other recorded) evidence. Images, videos, and audio recordings can now be easily faked or altered in ways that cannot be detected. Digital technology has made this happen. Analog media is continuous, so subtle modifications can be noticed. However, digital media has discrete bits that are not dependent on the bits around them.

It is time to relearn what was so obvious to our ancestors: the SOURCE is more important than the content. “Do you trust or believe the source?” This can be a personal choice, but we no longer have the convenience of “socially accepted” sources.

Some technologies can “help” build trust, but they can all be compromised. We should never again put unconditional trust in any medium or technology.

Read Article

Indivisible Palo Alto Plus

Defend Democracy. Build Community. Have Fun.

Indivisible Palo Alto Plus (IPA+) is a diverse, action-oriented community that works to defend democracy across the San Francisco Peninsula and beyond. We combine grassroots activism with joy, bringing together people of varied backgrounds and perspectives to stand against authoritarianism and to protect democratic values. We are committed to making positive change—one action, and one connection, at a time.

Because tyrants hate it when we’re having fun, IPA+ meetings always incorporate playful activities that help us laugh and connect with each other. We believe that fun, joy, and laughter are essential to nourishing our spirits so that we can do the hard work of activism.

IPA+ is a recognized part of the Indivisible movement. We work with the national Indivisible organization and with other local Indivisible groups.

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Indivisible: A Practical Guide To Democracy On The Brink

If there’s one universally accepted truth in the modern age, it’s that sequels suck. And Trump 2.0 will be no exception. Trump, Vance, and their MAGA minions feel vindicated by the victory of their bigoted, fascistic clown show of a presidential campaign. Trump takes office with a plan to institute the worst parts of Project 2025. He’ll be enabled by a judiciary packed with right-wing ideologues and a congressional majority stacked with MAGA foot soldiers. And he’s assembled a bloc of corporations and billionaires eager to do his bidding in exchange for tax cuts and corrupt favors. But he has no mandate for the staggeringly harmful agenda he’s about to unleash on the country. And together, we have the power to fight back — and win.

Resource Guide – Archive

Tyranny of the Minority

Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples—from 1930s France to present-day Thailand—to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind.

INTERVIEW: Levitsky and Ziblatt with journalist Tiziana Dearing at Harvard

Review

The Joy of Talking Politics With Strangers

How to save democracy one conversation at a time

by Elizabeth Chur

Publisher: Talk with Voters Publishing

Elections are decided on front porches and phone calls across the country, one voter at a time. The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers is a comprehensive guidebook that helps volunteers connect one-on-one with voters – our most powerful tool for winning elections. These conversations can also spark unexpected moments of empathy and even kinship with our fellow Americans.
 

After 2016, volunteer Elizabeth Chur realized it’s up to ordinary citizens to protect our democracy. She started learning Spanish, began phone banking, and canvassed in California’s Central Valley, home to some of the nation’s most contested swing districts. By talking with over 1,000 people, she discovered how to forge meaningful connections with the hardest-to-reach voters, including:

  • Young people
  • Latinos
  • People who say, “I don’t vote.”

Filled with uplifting stories and practical tips, this inspiring book helps you earn people’s trust – and their votes. It demonstrates how taking positive action builds community and creates hope. Whether you’re a first-time volunteer or seasoned activist, The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers shows you how to engage more effectively with voters and win elections.

 

Buy

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Why do we celebrate incompetent leaders?

By: Martin Gutmann

Publisher: TEDxTalks, TEDxBerlin

Recommended by: Bruce R.

“The evidence is clear that boring management matters.“–Raffaella Sadun

Leader selection mistake: People often pick leaders because they make for a good “story.” Excellent leaders have boring stories because they have avoided the conflicts that make for a good story.

We see leadership potential in people who:

  • speak more (regardless of what they say)
  • appear confident (regardless of competence)
  • are perpetually busy (regardless of what they’re doing)

“since we reward people who are good in crises (and ignore people who are such good manager that there are very few crises), [people] soon learn to seek out (or reframe situations as) crises.”–Keith Grint

Is the press trying to help elect Trump?

Trump loses again, as Biden is cleared

By: L O L G O P

Frame Lab advises responding to the special council report of Biden’s classified documents investigation by pointing out that Biden was cleared while Trump is still facing indictments. 

“The best way for the media to sell newspapers and clicks is to give Republicans what they want to hear, which drives liberals to hate reading, hate sharing, and even hate subscribing.  By rebutting them, [we] spread and strengthen them. That’s how our brains work.” 

Read Article

Always ‘Reframe’ Republican Talking Points

NEVER REPEAT LANGUAGE REPUBLICANS USE

“Consider the phrase “tax relief.” The world “relief” frames the word “tax” as an affliction or form of suffering. We generally need “relief” from things that are painful or unpleasant…Another example: Consider the phrase “forced birth.” It frames abortion bans with a negative word, “forced,” which frames abortion bans as aggressively stripping women of their freedom.”  Moral Warfare 101: Frames and Your Brain, Frame Lab, February 5, 2024 

“…when environmental issues are reframed in terms of the conservative value of purity – emphasizing the importance of keeping our forests, drinking water, and skies pure – conservatives are much more likely to support this cause.  

The power of framing: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it

The Guardian, July 20, 2017

Climate change? Global warming?

“David Fenton, a longtime PR specialist for progressive causes…urges the climate community to speak of pollution – a word everyone gets – and to settle on the image of a ‘blanket of pollution trapping heat on Earth’. Every oil and gas emission makes that blanket thicker – and all that trapped heat helps cause floods and start fires, he says.” As heat records break, the climate movement has the right answers – but the words are all wrong The Guardian, July 14, 2023

Frame Lab explains:

“Much of politics is a struggle to define how certain key words are framed — words like ‘tax,’ ‘freedom,’ ‘rights’ and ‘truth.’ 

“If you oppose an issue, you must try to frame it in negative terms. If you support an issue, you must try to frame it positively.”

Cognitive scientist Dr. George Lakoff and journalist Gil Duran share their political messaging expertise at  

Frame Lab on Substack.

Visit Frame Lab

Latest Frame Lab Articles

Yes, Republicans really believe in starving kids

By: L O L G O P

Republican governors in 15 red states have refused to participate in this summer’s federal free lunch program, denying food to approximately 8 million kids. 

Frame Lab advises responding without mentioning welfare states or calling Republicans scrooges. Say instead,  “Tate Reeves [Republican Governor of Mississippi] doesn’t want these kids to succeed. He doesn’t want them to have the same freedom as his kids enjoy. This isn’t just about punishing poor kids for being poor. It’s about taking away their opportunities.”

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AllSides

AllSides helps you get the full picture.

AllSides is the standard for information integrity. By revealing bias and providing perspectives from all sides, we help people better understand the world — and each other.

We believe information integrity requires:

  • Revealing and combating bias to avoid information manipulation and blindspots.
  • A breadth of perspectives to combat groupthink and false narratives.
  • Effective dialogue and deliberation to make the best decisions and implement them effectively with buy-in.

Information integrity is not only needed in news, but also in AI, businesses, schools, government, and throughout our daily lives.

AllSides’ information integrity technologies and services help people and organizations get out of manipulative, one-sided, and biased information systems wherever they might be — in technology, news, companies, government, classrooms and beyond — so we can all see the full picture, think for ourselves and make the best decisions.

With the information ecosystem being rewired at a rapid pace, we dedicate ourselves to trustworthy information by using an explicitly multipartisan, diverse team and providing the systems and technology to deliver information from a variety of different sources so people can think critically and act confidently.

AllSides Media Bias Chart
ALLSIDES Home Page

A Warning About Donald Trump and 2024

by The Editorial Board (New York Times)

Summary

“Mr. Trump does not offer voters anything resembling a normal option of Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, big government or small. He confronts America with a far more fateful choice: between the continuance of the United States as a nation dedicated to “the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity” and a man who has proudly shown open disdain for the law and the protections and ideals of the Constitution.”

Publisher: The New York Times

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A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy

by PBS

With American democracy under threat, diplomat Dr. Richard Haass outlines ten habits to help citizens preserve democracy. Haass also explores real-life examples of Americans who are working towards strengthening democracy and renewing the spirit of a more informed and engaged citizenry. Premiered January 2, 2024 on PBS.

Watch the Video

HOPE

Harnessing Our Power to End (HOPE) Political Violence

Recommended by Bob B.

Here is the link to a 2024 data-driven guide for communities across the United States on how to organize to counter political violence and intimidation. Minneapolis has been using these techniques among others that were developed in 2020 in response to George Floyd’s murder to show how to build a “mutual aid culture” of caring and courage. There are lots of practical suggestions with context that Indivisible chapters and others can use.

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Harnessing Our Power to End (HOPE) Political Violence is a guide for communities across the United States to organize to counter political violence.

It’s for people who recognize the dire stakes that political violence creates, and who want to work together nonviolently to protect our communities and uphold democracy.

The vast majority of people in the US – in cities and small towns, across party lines, and from all walks of life – oppose political violence. Together, we need to push back against those who want to silence our voices, who try to deny us our rights, and who aim to bully their way into political influence through intimidation and violence.

Get the Guide

Reframing America

Changing the way the American Left engages in the public debate.
By Antonia Scatton

Recommended by Bob.

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Courier Newsroom

COURIER is a pro-democracy news network that builds a more informed, engaged, and representative America by reaching audiences where they are online with factual, values-driven news and analysis.

COURIER’s local newsrooms provide Americans with news centered on the people and policies affecting their lives. Our reporting is primarily produced for the social media platforms and online channels our audiences spend their time on, with an emphasis on video, graphics, and skimmable newsletters to inform and engage our audiences in the ways they consume information today.

Courier’s Home Page

Ad Fontes Media

Ad Fontes Media is a public benefit corporation based in Colorado. Being a public benefit corporation means we are a for-profit business with a stated public mission, which is to rate all the news to positively transform society.

Fundamentally, we want to help bring people together. Misleading, inaccurate, and highly polarizing media content has driven so many of us apart. This affects everything from our familial relationships to our ability to create legislative solutions to our biggest challenges. 

Ad Fontes is Latin for “to the source,” because at the heart of what Ad Fontes Media does is look at the source—analyze the very content itself—to rate it.

What We Do? We Rate the News

The information landscape is vast and noisy. We’re here to help you sort through it by rating sources for reliability and bias. Obviously, people have lots of different thoughts about how reliable and biased various news sources are, so we do everything we can to earn your trust.

INteractive Media Bias Chart

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Grand Bargain Project

Recommended by: Bob B. – “A nonprofit working to create large collaborative projects to promote consensus policies frameworks with details that could be enacted by Congress on the basis of broad acceptance within the country from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”

In a recent YouGov poll, 83% of citizens wanted lawmakers from both parties to make our package of 39 life-enhancing reforms “a priority.”​

These reforms would significantly advance citizens’ long-thwarted aspirations for:

  1. Greater economic opportunity and growth

  2. Schools that enable kids to reach their potential

  3. Effective & affordable healthcare

  4. Curbing the national debt

  5. Reliable, clean & affordable energy

  6. Fairer, simpler tax code

  7. Congress organized to resolve our differences

7 icons.png

Among the reforms that voters across the spectrum support, all but two have been around for years.

Congress has enacted NONE

The reason: Lawmakers win reelection over 90% of the time by blaming the other party for our critical problems and offering sound bites as remedies.

To overcome these dysfunctions, the Grand Bargain includes three reforms that would reward lawmakers who make major progress on our long-term ills — while those who stood in the way would be likely to lose their seats.

Hear Vinay Orekondy from the Grand Bargain Project talk passionately about our project at EarthX 2025 as part of a Rotaract Club spotlight.

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Builders

Rise Above US vs Them. Be a Builder

Recommended by: Bob B. – “Builders Movement, was launched by Starts With Us, and supported by Kind founder, Daniel Lubetsky.”

Our mission is to overcome “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We equip people to uncover hidden common ground and build on it – with lasting solutions that reflect the will of the people.

Find Common Ground and Build Real Solutions Together

If enough people adopt a Builders Mindset, we can replace our toxic “us vs. them” culture with one of curiosity, compassion, courage, and creative innovation.

It won’t be easy. The incentives in our media, social algorithms, and politics reward and amplify the conflict entrepreneurs working overtime to divide, diminish, and destroy.

Our approach is to reach and teach people at scale with powerful content, equip them with new skills and innovative tools, and mobilize the growing Builders movement with grassroots civic programs to hold political leaders accountable for being Builders.

Practicing the 4Cs Daily

The Builders mindset is rooted in the 4Cs: curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity. By adopting these values as daily habits, we promote flexible thinking, constructive problem solving, and respecting the dignity of all people.

It’s time to take action. Join us. Be a Builder.

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  • The Texas Math That Should Bother You
    Texas runoff elections are decided by a tiny slice of voters. Here’s what that really looks like — and why it matters for all of us. Picture 20 people — your coworkers, your neighbors, the regulars at your coffee shop. In a typical Texas runoff election, only one of them votes. The other 19 don’t… The post The Texas Math That Should Bother You appeared first on Builders.
  • Grads: Do you want to be effective, or seen as correct?
    For many, graduation feels like an “arrival” into adulthood. In one sense, it is: walking across the stage and flipping your tassel is, for most, the end of formal education. However, as far as your life—and especially your development—is concerned, graduation isn’t the end. In fact, to paraphrase Churchill (as at my own graduation in… The post Grads: Do you want to be effective, or seen as correct? appeared first on Builders.
  • Build Things That Outlast You
    To the graduates stepping into the world right now: As you begin this next chapter, you are going to hear a lot about disruption, innovation, artificial intelligence, and the future of work. Much of that matters. The world is changing quickly, and your generation will navigate challenges and opportunities no generation before you has faced… The post Build Things That Outlast You appeared first on Builders.
  • DEBUNKED: 4 Myths for Texans to Bust Before the May 26 Runoff
    You showed up for the primary. Now here’s why the runoffs on May 26 matters just as much — if not more — and what you might be getting wrong about them. Every election cycle, myths spread quietly through group chats and social feeds — not always out of bad faith, just confusion. But when… The post DEBUNKED: 4 Myths for Texans to Bust Before the May 26 Runoff appeared first on Builders.
  • Ask a Builder: 4 Tips for Tackling Tough Conversations Over Mother’s Day Brunch
    We’re launching “Ask a Builder” — a new advice column to hear from you about your challenges and how you can address them as a Builder! With Mother’s Day just days away, we’re starting with this note we received from one Builder mom: “As a mother and stepmother of 4 girls and grandmother to 13… The post Ask a Builder: 4 Tips for Tackling Tough Conversations Over Mother’s Day Brunch appeared first on Builders.
  • The Commencement Speech You Never Heard
    Sharon McMahon, a bestselling author and Builders Movement Partner, was supposed to deliver the commencement address at Utah Valley University yesterday. She was ready to return to the campus that was the site of Charlie Kirk’s assassination just months before, and share a unifying message about the resilience of hope. But just days before graduation,… The post The Commencement Speech You Never Heard appeared first on Builders.
  • When the 5th & 8th Largest Economies in the World Come Together
    A Texan in London and Why It Matters for Everyone Back Home Last week, I was in London for something that does not happen every day: the State of Texas officially opened a trade and investment office in the United Kingdom. It was a milestone worth pausing on not just as a point of Texas… The post When the 5th & 8th Largest Economies in the World Come Together appeared first on Builders.
  • 5 Things Conservatives and Liberals Both Want for the Environment
    When most people think of the environment, they think of rivers, oceans, mountains, forests, prairies, and the nature in their own backyard. For some reason, though, politicians think of a culture war.  In the heart of America, there’s still a unified love of the environment and a growing, unified demand for leadership. The reality is… The post 5 Things Conservatives and Liberals Both Want for the Environment appeared first on Builders.
  • Your State’s Primary is Coming Soon. Are You Prepared?
    Did you know that there are votes for 18 Governors, 20 Senators, and 226 Members of Congress this May and June — in elections that most people ignore? The main Election Day might not be until November, but it’s time to tune in today, because primary elections are happening across over half the country in… The post Your State’s Primary is Coming Soon. Are You Prepared? appeared first on Builders.
  • 3 BIG Issues Debated in Texas – Where Agreement is Taking Place
    As the Texas Legislature moves through interim hearings, most Texans never see what’s actually happening behind the scenes. These hearings are not about passing laws. They are about studying the biggest challenges facing our state and preparing solutions for the next session. If you listen closely, these conversations are not just about politics. They are… The post 3 BIG Issues Debated in Texas – Where Agreement is Taking Place appeared first on Builders.
  • A Spring Revival in a Divided World
    A Passover Reflection From Our Founding Partner, Daniel Lubetzky Every year for Passover, we fill four cups to signal God’s redemption of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. We also fill a fifth cup, leave that seat unfilled, and open the door for the prophet Elijah. It represents the redemption that is still to… The post A Spring Revival in a Divided World appeared first on Builders.
  • The 3 People We Become When Someone Corrects Us
    Nobody likes being corrected. Not you. Not me. Not that guy on Facebook who is absolutely certain that the moon landing was filmed in New Zealand. And the way we handle correction (emotionally, reflexively, tribally) is quietly fueling the political dysfunction we claim to hate. In his book Think Again, organizational psychologist and Movement Partner… The post The 3 People We Become When Someone Corrects Us appeared first on Builders.

How to Know a Person

The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

by David Brooks

Summary

Recommended by Bob

Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and his determination to grow as a person, David Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and from the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection. How to Know a Person helps readers become more understanding and considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception.

Continue reading How to Know a Person

Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

Historians are fond of saying that the past doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes.

To understand the present, we have to understand how we got here.

That’s where this newsletter comes in.

I’m a professor of American history. This is a chronicle of today’s political landscape, but because you can’t get a grip on today’s politics without an outline of America’s Constitution, and laws, and the economy, and social customs, this newsletter explores what it means, and what it has meant, to be an American.

These were the same questions a famous observer asked in a book of letters he published in 1782, the year before the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War.

Hector St. John de Crevecoeur called his book “Letters from an American Farmer.”

Like I say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure rhymes.

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Prequel

An American Fight Against Fascism

By Rachel Maddow

Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.

Continue reading Prequel

The Divider

Trump in the White House, 2017-2021

by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser

Publisher: Vintage

The Divider brings us into the Oval Office for countless scenes both tense and comical, revealing how close we got to nuclear war with North Korea, which cabinet members had a resignation pact, whether Trump asked Japan’s prime minister to nominate him for a Nobel Prize and much more. The book also explores the moral choices confronting those around Trump—how they justified working for a man they considered unfit for office, and where they drew their lines.

INTERVIEW: Susan Glasser and Peter Baker on C-SPAN

Review

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Muffle MAGA’s Megaphone

SWING LEFT PENINSULA created these engaging videos to help spread the word effectively that things are better when Democrats are in office AND to counter MAGA Republicans’ anti-democracy messages. 

To Muffle the MAGAphone:

  1. Avoid amplifying MAGA messages.
  2. Amplify pro-Democracy messages. 
  • Don’t Repeat Disinformation – What’s the best thing to do when encountering MAGA disinformation? NOTHING!
  • Ignore DogWhistles – Ever wonder why MAGA Republicans repeat certain words and phrases? Hint: Dog whistles
  • Stay United! – Why do MAGA Republicans spend so much time attacking an ever-growing list of others?
  • Frame It Our Way! – We need to avoid repeating MAGA GOP frames, even to refute them. Talk about the good stuff – what we need for all Americans to thrive.
  • Share Effectively – What makes an effective message? Lead with shared values. Identify who stands in the way of those values and why. End with your vision for a better future.

Words that Win – The 3V Messaging Framework

VALUES, VILLAINS, and VISION

Communications consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio developed the 3V messaging framework. Effective 3V messages: 

  1. lead with shared values, 
  2. name the villains and their motives for opposing those values,
  3. present your vision for a better future. 

As linguist George Lakoff says, “People vote based on values, connection, authenticity, trust and identity” – not lists of policies and facts.

BAC’s 3V Messaging Library

The Bay Area Coalition offers 3V statements on the critical issues of our time.

go to Messaging Library

January 6th Committee Report

by Select Committee

“The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack has succeeded in bringing clarity and demonstrating with painstaking detail the fragility of our Democracy. Above all, the work of the Select Committee underscores that our democratic institutions are only as strong as the commitment of those who are entrusted with their care.

As the Select Committee concludes its work, their words must be a clarion call to all Americans: to vigilantly guard our Democracy and to give our vote only to those dutiful in their defense of our Constitution.”

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

Read Report

Thank You for Your Servitude

Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission
By Mark Leibovich
Publisher: Penguin Press

Recommended by Cindi

“This is a really funny book.” Kara Swisher. 

Mark Leibovich’s unflinching account of the moral rout of a major American political party, tracking the transformation of Rubio, Cruz, Graham, and their ilk into the administration’s chief enablers, and the swamp’s lesser lights into frantic chasers of the grift…isn’t another view from the Oval Office: it’s the view from the Trump Hotel. 

Review
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Feel Good Action

Using the power of social networks and digital media, we motivate individual and collective action to advance resilient communities, just societies, and a healthy planet.

95% of young people are on social media. 

Relationships, ideas, and images of our lives are shaped and shared on social media every day. In partnership with Feel Good Action, influencers are leading their followers to ACT.

Find out more

Democratic Messaging Project

The Democratic Messaging Project was established in 2022 to inform and educate voters about the historic achievements made by the Biden Administration and Democrats. DMP  billboards, postcards, digital and video ads have made a huge impact in battleground states. 

Find out more

Lincoln Square

Newsletter

Publisher: Lincoln Square

When you join Lincoln Square, you are more than a passive consumer of content – You are a critical member of the Ferocious Opposition. We’ll provide you with the truth that you need and the tools to help spread the antidote to Trump, MAGA, Musk, and what once was a legitimate major political party in our country, the Republicans.

Lincoln Square founders introduce LSM here. 

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About

Lincoln Square is a collaborative effort with The Lincoln Project, America’s leading pro-democracy organization. It’s an ambitious effort to rethink how the media fights against autocracy, disinformation, and the flood of attacks on truth and our democracy. We don’t pull punches. We don’t cower in fear and hope Trump, Musk, and their minions don’t notice us and be spared their wrath.

We aren’t legacy media. We don’t have billionaire backers or corporate overlords directing what we can and cannot say.

Our mission is to expose, inspire, inform, lead, and connect — and give you the tools not just to fight back, but fight forward for the America we all deserve – not just the broligarchs and kleptocrats. We fight for the rights of all of us because it takes all of us for America to achieve her extraordinary potential. And we’re getting louder than ever with podcasts, live streaming, digital and social media, commentary, articles, town halls, public and virtual community gatherings, and strategy calls with people like Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, and Joe Trippi, who have led the biggest campaigns — and won.

Latest Articles

The Art & Science of Persuasion Playbook

A Message from Galvanize Action about a huge block of persuadable voters!

“White women are the largest voting bloc in this country and will be for decades to come. They account for 38% of the national vote share and 43% of the vote share across Galvanize Action’s priority states. Within this voting bloc, we’ve identified 44,093,812 moderate women who are not ideologically entrenched, meaning they are open to new ideas and perspectives and movable on key issues such as reproductive freedom, healthcare, gender equity, climate, and the economy.”

Galvanize Action has a fabulous interactive messaging worksheet we can all use!

Galvanize Action says, “We’ll share with you exactly how to create a message that meets people at their values and how to turn those into an effective ad. Our interactive worksheet will guide you through the process with prompts about your target audience and the issue you want to move them on. You’ll walk away with customized advice!”

Corruptible

Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us

By: Brian Klaas

Publisher: Scribner

Recommended by: Bruce R.

Does power corrupt, or are corrupt people drawn to power? Are tyrants made or born? Are entrepreneurs who embezzle and cops who kill the result of poorly designed systems or are they just bad people? If you were suddenly thrust into a position of power, would you be able to resist the temptation to line your pockets or seek revenge against your enemies?

To answer these questions, Corruptible draws on over 500 interviews with some of the world’s top leaders—from the noblest to the dirtiest—including presidents and philanthropists as well as rebels, cultists, and dictators. Some of the fascinating insights include: how facial appearance determines who we pick as leaders, why narcissists make more money, why some people don’t want power at all and others are drawn to it out of a psychopathic impulse, and why being the “beta” (second in command) may actually be the optimal place for health and well-being.

Corruptible also features a wealth of counterintuitive examples from history and social science: you’ll meet the worst bioterrorist in American history, hit the slopes with a ski instructor who once ruled Iraq, and learn why the inability of chimpanzees to play baseball is central to the development of human hierarchies.

Professor Jason Stanley outlines how fascism takes over a country

Fascism is a cult of the leader, who promises national restoration in the face of supposed humiliation by immigrants, leftists, liberals, minorities, homosexuals, women, in the face of what the fascist leader says is a takeover of the country’s media, cultural institutions, schools by these forces.

Fascist movements typically, though not invariably, rest on an urban/rural divide. The cities are where there’s decadence, where the elites congregate, where there’s immigrants, and where there’s criminality.

Each of these individuals alone is not in and of itself fascist, but you have to worry when they’re all grouped together, seeing the other as less than. Those moments are the times when societies need to worry about fascism.

Strongmen

Mussolini to the Present

by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is the expert on the “strongman” playbook employed by authoritarian demagogues from Mussolini to Putin—enabling her to predict with uncanny accuracy the recent experience in America and Europe. In Strongmen, she lays bare the blueprint these leaders have followed over the past 100 years, and empowers us to recognize, resist, and prevent their disastrous rule in the future.

Read Review


Ruth Ben-Ghiat interviewed by Dean Peter Arnade at University of Hawai

How to recognize disinformation and how to stop it

Deb Lavoy explains how we fall for disinformation and how to train ourselves to avoid falling for it. (11 min.)

Deb Lavoy is on a mission to eradicate disinformation. As a former software engineer and digital marketer, she recognized the established social media marketing techniques that disinformation perpetrators appropriating to manipulate us into believing falsehoods. This talk provides tips on recognizing these tricks and how to counter them. Deb Lavoy is on a mission to eradicate disinformation. Her experience in software engineering and marketing, gave her a unique perspective on the rise of disinformation in 2016: the perpetrators were maliciously appropriating tried and tested digital marketing techniques. Deb founded the nonprofit Reality Team in response.

Reality Team drowns out the lies perpetrated over social media with simply stated truths, and arms people with tools and information to join the fight. The organization builds campaigns that change the ratio of truthful to untruthful information on social media feeds and provides tools and techniques to make it easier to tell the difference.

The Highest Common Denominator

Using Convergent Facilitation to Reach Breakthrough Collaborative Decisions

by Miki Kashtan

Miki introduces a novel decision-making process called Convergent Facilitation that builds trust from the beginning, surfaces concerns and addresses them, and turns conflicts into creative dilemmas that groups feel energized to solve together. This highly effective process has been used successfully around the world to resolve problems and teach people how to collaborate without sacrificing productivity.

Continue reading The Highest Common Denominator

Robert Reich on Substack

by Robert Reich

 

Robert Reich on Substack

Robert Reich’s is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration for which Time Magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century.  He has written 18 books, including

Read Robert’s Jan. 2, 2024 article  “Why is the mainstream media failing to report accurately on the coming election? 

Latest Posts

YouTube Channel

Meet the Biggest Super PACs of 2026

Voters are increasingly opposed to U.S. aid to Israel, cryptocurrency, and AI data centers.

That’s why the Big Money groups who support those policies are trying to trick you into voting …for their candidates.

Here’s what you need to know.Show More
Meet the Biggest Super PACs of 2026
Meet the Biggest Super PACs of 2026
Voters are increasingly opposed to U.S. aid to Israel, cryptocurrency, and AI data centers. That’s why the Big Money groups who support those policies are trying to trick you into voting for their candidates. Here’s what you need to know.
Donald Trump Just Stole Your Money
Donald Trump Just Stole Your Money
Friends, I’ve been around politics for over 50 years. I’ve never seen anything as brazenly crooked and corrupt as what Trump and his cronies did today.
The Scariest Words in the English Language
The Scariest Words in the English Language
Kudos to Zohran Mamdani for exposing the lie behind Ronald Reagan’s most famous quote. This is what true public service looks like.
Trump's Foreign Policy is Pure Corruption
Trump's Foreign Policy is Pure Corruption
I’ve worked for three presidents, including one Republican. No previous administration was this awash in corruption and conflicts of interest.
An Anti-Vietnam War PSA That Gives Me Chills
An Anti-Vietnam War PSA That Gives Me Chills
This gave me chills. Watch.
Trump's Big Flop in China
Trump's Big Flop in China
With inflation skyrocketing and the Iran War dragging on, Trump was hoping for a big win from his visit to China. That didn’t happen.
Trump’s Global Humiliation | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich
Trump’s Global Humiliation | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich
Trump’s billionaire-studded China trip. Congress’ failure to rein in his illegal war on Iran. And his latest plunder of taxpayer dollars — which might be his most corrupt yet. Heather and I break it all down on this week’s Coffee Klatch.
Want to Fight Fascism? Protect Public Education.
Want to Fight Fascism? Protect Public Education.
Why is Trump so terrified of teachers? Because like every dictator, he knows the greatest threat to his rule is an educated public. I spoke with American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten about Trump’s war on teachers — and how we can fight back.
Is “Hacks” Right About AI?
Is “Hacks” Right About AI?
This monologue from Hannah Einbinder on the show “Hacks” perfectly encapsulates the frustration many people feel about AI. What are your thoughts?
What Your Landlord Doesn’t Want You to Know (ft. Tara Raghuveer)
What Your Landlord Doesn’t Want You to Know (ft. Tara Raghuveer)
Are you sick and tired of dealing with soaring rent and crumbling buildings? Do you want to level the playing field between landlords and tenants? Then it’s time to join a tenant union. Tara Raghuveer explains. To learn more about tenant unions and how you can start one: https://tenantfederation.org/
The 60-Year Republican Redistricting Plan
The 60-Year Republican Redistricting Plan
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones is one of my personal heroes. I recently had the chance to speak to him about the racist redistricting plot being enacted in his state and others in the South. Republicans are trying to bring us back to the Jim Crow era that so many fought (and died) to end.
How We Fight Back Against Jim Crow 2.0
How We Fight Back Against Jim Crow 2.0
What is it like being on the frontlines of the gerrymandering wars? Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones knows firsthand. I spoke with him about his state’s new gerrymander — and what’s next for democracy in the South.
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The Upswing

how America came together a century ago and how we can do it again

by Robert D. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

“An eminent political scientist’s brilliant synthesis of social and political trends over the past century that shows how we have gone from an individualistic society to a more communitarian society and then back again — and how we can use that experience to overcome once again the individualism that currently weakens our country”

We can’t go back to when things were “good.” But we can learn from when things ware “bad.” In the early 1900’s the Guilded Age of the robber barons, things were really bad for most US citizens; they feared for the end of democracy and the take-over by the oligarchs.

Buy

Interview: Robert Putnam Knows Why You’re Lonely

The 2023 Ithiel de Sola Pool Lecture by Robert D. Putnam
Sep 22, 2023

Join or Die — Trailer (2023)

The Documentary “Join or Die” (2023) is currently available on Netflix (2025-08-11)

Divided We Fall

America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation

by David French

Summary

Reestablishing national unity will require the bravery to commit ourselves to embracing qualities of kindness, decency, and grace towards those we disagree with ideologically. David French calls on all of us to demonstrate true tolerance so we can heal the American divide. If we want to remain united, we must learn to stand together again.

Continue reading Divided We Fall

How to Citizen with Baratunde

By Baratunde Thurston

Recommended by: Bob

Here are some sources of ideas from a podcast by Baratunde Thurston, which began in 2020 and has four seasons of episodes. The overall theme is encouraging thinking about “citizen” as a verb. The four
pillars for doing this are:

  • To participate, not just vote, but to show up for each other and publicly participate by discussing concerns, debating policy choices, advocating, etc.
  • To invest in relationships, by deepening our interconnections with our community, family, neighbors, etc..
  • To understand power, by learning about the fluidity of power and the various ways we the people can use it for our collective benefit.
  • To value the collective, by working towards outcomes that benefit the many, not just the few.

The four seasons of episodes (ranging from 11 to 16 episodes each season) consist of interviews with folks who are thinking about and demonstrating democracy-building activities. It’s a wonderful resource for ideas. They include international, national, statewide, and local leaders.

Podcast Link

The Hidden Tribes of America

A year-long project of More in Common launched in October 2018.

by: Stephen Hawkins, Daniel Yudkin, Míriam Juan-Torres, and Tim Dixon

Publisher: More in Common US

Recommended by: Bob B.

The report was conducted by More in Common, a new international initiative to build societies and communities that are stronger, more united, and more resilient to the increasing threats of polarization and social division. We work in partnership with a wide range of civil society groups, as well as philanthropy, business, faith, education, media and government to connect people across the lines of division.

America has never felt so divided. Bitter debates that were once confined to Congressional hearings and cable TV have now found their way into every part of our lives, from our Facebook feeds to the family dinner table. But most Americans are tired of this “us-versus-them” mindset and are eager to find common ground. This is the message we’ve heard from more than 8,000 Americans in one of our country’s largest-ever studies of polarization: We hold dissimilar views on many issues. However, more than three in four Americans also believe that our differences aren’t so great that we can’t work together.

A range of major issues split the country

  • Immigration impact
  • White privilege
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Islamophobia
Read the full report

More in Common US

Recommended by: Bob B.

More in Common was established with the mission of tackling the ‘us-versus-them’ divisions that pose a generational threat to the United States. We have published over 30 reports since launching in the US in 2018, with a foundational study that helped shape the emerging field of efforts to tackle polarization in America. Hidden Tribes:  A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape showed that rather than being evenly divided, most Americans belonged to an ‘Exhausted Majority’. America’s Exhausted Majority is tired of tribalism, fed up with the country’s polarization, and more flexible and less ideological than the strident voices who dominate public debates.

We work with leaders across the ideological spectrum to strengthen American democracy, solve problems, and better navigate the dynamics of a polarized society. The common thread through our ever-increasing range of projects and partnerships is a simple truth: what we as Americans have in common is greater than our differences. Through both our research insights and on-the-ground projects, we’re building evidence-based solutions to bring this truth to life.

More in Common is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. We receive funding from foundations, organizations and individuals who share a commitment to building communities and societies that are more resilient to the forces of social fracturing and polarization. Philanthropies that support More in Common’s work fund projects across a wide range of issue areas.

Website

See also:

Beyond MAGA
The Hidden Tribes of America