Focus for Democracy primarily raises funds for other organizations, such as Working America and Galvanize Action. Because the need to preserve our democracy is urgent, its leadership works pro bono, researching, synthesizing, and presenting recommendations on where to direct our political dollars to achieve the greatest impact.
Category: media
Media type.
Reclaim Our Flag Day
Sunday, June 14, 2026, 10:30 -12 noon
Location: Gateway Plaza, El Camino & Castro, 790 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040
This Flag Day, we reclaim our flag by standing for the values it is meant to represent: freedom, diversity, justice, dignity, equality, civil rights, social progress, and solidarity.
Memorial Day Potluck
Monday, May 25, 2026, 3-7pm
Indivisible friends —
IPV (Indivisible Portola Valley) is hosting its first-ever official social celebration, and neighbors from fellow Indivisible chapters are warmly invited too!
On Memorial Day, IPV’s Democracy Defenders’ Workshop (aka Cindi’s house) is officially becoming a party space. No work. No announcements. No agonizing. Just good old-fashioned camaraderie with the people who’ve made thousands of know-your-rights kits, mountains of No Kings zines, stacks of protest signs, and even JoAnn’s grumpy trump heads.
RSVP with and emai to cindisearsipv@gmail.com for the location in Portola Valley.
Drop in for a few minutes or stay the whole time. Friends and families welcome! Bring a dish, bring a drink, or just bring yourself — all are welcome. RSVPs appreciated for planning purposes, but this is a decidedly low-pressure democracy.
Hope to see you on Memorial Day!
RWC Parade: Dancing for Democracy
Save the date: Saturday, July 4, 2026, 10AM
Details for our group will be added here as we get closer to the date.
The annual Fourth of July Parade in downtown Redwood City, the largest Independence Day parade in Northern California, attracts thousands of spectators. It brings entries from across the state. Most of the budget for the Parade is used for cash awards to participants, of which many winners are from Redwood City.
The parade starts promptly at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026. You will know it’s time when you hear the cannon!
No to Proposed Gilroy ICE Facility
Community Briefing: Friday, May 22, 2026, 11 AM – 12pm
ICE is trying to move to build a facility in South County — and our community is fighting back.
Although there is no definitive information about the future use of this land, our community will be vigilant and organized to ensure ICE can not expand deportation operations in the Bay at this site.
On May 22, join us for a community briefing to get the full picture: what we know, what’s at stake, and how we stop it. This is your chance to hear directly from community leaders, ask questions, and plug into the campaign.
This facility would threaten the safety and well-being of immigrant families across the entire region. Research has consistently shown that communities located near ICE detention centers experience increased enforcement activity and higher rates of arrests—a pattern that puts immigrant families, mixed-status households, and entire neighborhoods at greater risk.
Santa Clara County is home to one of the largest immigrant populations in California. For years, county leaders and community organizations have fought to pass and defend strong sanctuary protections because they know that the safety of immigrant residents is inseparable from the safety and well-being of the whole county. A new ICE detention center in Gilroy would be a direct threat to everything those protections stand for.
Sponsored by: Bay Resistance

Next IPV General Meeting
Wednesday, June 10 from 7-8:30pm
Location: probably Zoom
May Day Strong
FRIDAY, MAY 1ST, 5:00-6:30, Redwood City, El Camino at Jefferson.
Speakers at 5:15 on the northeast corner, elected officials and labor leaders.
Photos and Videos at ProBonoPhoto
(Some will be posted here shortly)
Speakers
- Julie Lind – San Mateo County Labor Council
- Kevin Mullin – U.S. Congressman
- Josh Becker – State Senator
- Noelia Corzo – Board of Supervisors, District 2 President
- Lisa Gauthier – Supervisor
- Elmer Martinez – Redwood City Mayor
- James Coleman – SSF City Council Member, representing Working Families
- Pranita Venkatesh – Mayor of San Carlos, representing SMC AAPI
Demands for May 1st
Tax the rich. Our families, not their fortunes, should come first.
No ICE. No war. Hands off our vote. Expand democracy, not corporate power
In 2025, billionaires paid an average federal individual tax rate of 3.4%- 8.2%. Their fortunes grew an average of 33%. Meanwhile, the poorest among us have lost SNAP (food stamps), children in schools who qualify no longer receive a free meal (often was their only meal in a day), health care premiums have been increased, Medicaid is set to throw millions off in Dec of ’26, many rural hospitals have closed, stopping childcare subsidies… and so much more.
A day of protests & other actions, to remind ourselves that we are many & strong.
No Work (if you are able), No School (if you are able), No Shopping (we can all stop)
Ways to think about what “billion” really means in seconds are easier to understand than dollars– here’s the inequality if seconds were dollars:
100,000 = 28 hours, 1 million = 11 days, 1 billion = 32 years, 1 trillion=31,688 YEARS
See also: https://maydaystrong.org
On May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families rally, march, and take action across the country to demand a nation that puts workers over billionaires, with many refusing business as usual through No School. No Work. No Shopping.

California’s top governor candidates debates and interviews
Early voting starts May 4th, when ballots are delivered… please consider waiting until the last debate to make your decision…
Recommended by JoAnn L.
More Debates Scheduled
April 28 – 5:30PM Streamed CBS
May 5th–6:00 PM CNN
Candidates
- R – Steve Hilton, former Fox News commentator
- R – Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff
- D – Tom Steyer, billionaire activist
- D – Xavier Becerra, former U.S. health and human services secretary
- D – Katie Porter, former U.S. representative
- D – Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose
Former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress.
Interviews with Candidates
KQED website, YouTube channel (30-minute videos)
Porter
Steyer
Becerra
Commonwealth Club 1-hour interviews
Becerra
Mahan
Steyer
On the Issues.org
The site is rated least biased, high credibility by https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/on-the-issues-bias/
(Note: each candidate is named on the top blue header: tiny white font. Click the name link to load info)
Becerra
Porter
Steyer
- Steyer’s efforts in funding various ballot measures – https://www.ontheissues.org/Archive/Archive_CA_Tom_Steyer.htm
Swalwell/Why?
The Axis–“The battle isn’t about left versus right” by Darcy Burner burnery@substack.com Subscribe here for more
JoAnn Loulan’s additions in italics
Eric Swalwell got away with what he was doing for almost twenty years.
And was ahead in the race for Gov of California
A congressman, a prosecutor before that, a man who spent two decades in public life, with a staff, with donors, with reporters on his beat, with colleagues who saw him at every fundraiser and floor vote. For two decades, according to reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle, CNN and NBC, he was allegedly sexually harassing, assaulting, and in at least one case raping the women around him. How does a person (man) –do this for that long?
Everyone clucks because Katie Porter is “mean to her staff”–not that I think that’s ok, but seriously? Everyone talks about that, and Swalwell gets away with sexual assault for 20 years.
Not: how do they get away with it once. Not: how do they hide one bad night. How do they build a twenty-year career on top of it, rise through the ranks, chair committees, run for president, run for governor… with women in their twenties rotating through the office every cycle, each one a potential witness, each one a potential story, and none of it touching him until April of 2026? When brave women came forward and risked their careers…which are probably over in DC.
The reason women don’t come forward isn’t fear of being disbelieved, exactly. It’s the math. The system is not designed to weigh the evidence; it is designed to weigh the people, and you are not the heavier one.
I call this status-based reasoning
The high-status person is right because they are the high-status person. Arguments are window dressing. Evidence is decoration. The conclusion is fixed before anyone opens their mouth, and everything that follows is the retroactive assembly of a justification.
It’s why “believe women” became such a flashpoint. The slogan was never asking for women to be believed without evidence. It was asking for women’s evidence to be weighted the same as men’s.
The crazy-making quality of living inside this system, on the wrong side of the line, is that the argument is never actually about the argument.
In the 2024 race Donald Trump tells the crowd that Kamala Harris “would get us into a World War III guaranteed because she is too grossly incompetent to do the job.” He is the high-status figure. She was the low-status one. He is right because he is the one who gets to be right. And everything he said she would do he has done (and she probably wouldn’t have )
This is what the Swalwell staffers lived inside. This is what Harris lived inside for the entirety of the 2024 campaign. This is what women, people of color and poor people live inside. This is what every woman who ever kept furniture between herself and a powerful man has lived inside her whole working life.
This is why electing a woman president of the United States will be very difficult….(19 million people voted for Biden in 2020 and DID NOT VOTE in 2024 ….and Harris lost by 6 million votes). You can say it’s her personality, Biden didn’t step down…on and on….the major cause was because our culture continues to see women (and a black and Asian woman to boot) as lower status than men…even wealthy women….it seems impossible to get retribution for the Epstein victims (one area I agree with Bondi–no Democratic DOJ supported Epstein victims either or released the Epstein files). 13 states have made abortion illegal, 8 have restricted birth control, 10% of Fortune 500 companies are run by women…and I can go on as to how sexism is a scourge in this country. Yet we worry about the psyche of young men.
Sexism, racism, classism and white nationalism need to be confronted–and all the “people who live inside this paradigm” need to be supported in fighting STATUS-BASED REASONING.
This is the ONLY way a Supreme Court Justice (Kavanaugh) could write in 2025 an agreement giving ICE unlimited power to detain people against their will because of: their accents, color of their skin and working low-status jobs. Think about that….and 81% of people arrested by ICE where courts have intervened have been released..because someone (a Judge) of higher status ruled they be released.
2026-03-28 NO KINGS 3 Only Love is Stronger than Hate (past event)
Time: Saturday, March 28, 2 – 4pm PDT
Location: El Camino Real and Jefferson Ave, Redwood City, CA 94062
Video by Bruce Rafnel
About this event
No Kings 3 is on March 28. Thousands will be out along El Camino across the Peninsula showing outrage at the administration, the illegal ICE actions, taking health care from millions to give tax breaks to billionaires, taking away rights from women over their own bodies, protecting pedophiles–the list goes on. Courage is contagious as we take back the House and Senate AND OUR COUNTRY!
We will meet once again at El Camino and Jefferson in Redwood City as we gather in solidarity and bask in “honk therapy” with everyone driving by joining us in strength and love.
A core principle behind all our events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. Turn your back and do not exchange words….that’s what they want and will film you as they try to make us look violent.
Love is stronger than hate!
Photos

No Kings 3 Protests in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento on 28 March 2026
Photos and (a few) videos from the No Kings 3 protests that Pro Bono Photo has covered throughout the greater SF Bay Area. There are subfolders for locations with multiple galleries. There’s one gallery for each protest, listed alphabetically by location.
Book Discussion: Outraged
Sundays, May 17 & May 31, 2026
11:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Ladera Community Church, 3300 Alpine Rd., Portola Valley Sanctuary
Explore the myths that fuel division and outrage, and how we can come together.
Join a two‑part conversation on Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, by social psychologist Kurt Gray, whose work examines how our perceptions of harm influence our reactions. Learn why we sometimes overreact to minor irritations or perceived threats, and why our country is so polarized.
- Copies on hold at Fireside Books in Redwood City
- Reading optional, Gray’s TED Talk and website offer quick overviews HERE
- Come to either session or both

Bay Area Against Detention Camps (past event)
Photos are from probonophoto.org photographers at this event were Sonny Mencher and Ed Ebert.
Protest! Saturday, February 28th, from 11am -12:30pm, RWC
Corner of Jefferson and El Camino!
It’s hard to believe we’re living in a country that is buying warehouses to actually house HUMANS! Their plan is to house 10 million people without Due Process! They are going to use warehouses that are not meant for humans. To deal with that, they are going to put in porta-potties (NOT actual bathrooms) and with NO RUNNING WATER, so they will truck in water–which is a long-term risk for disease.
We must do what we can to protest these human animal stalls where millions of humans will be held against their will without the ability to contest their incarceration.
Join a National Day of Action Against ICE Detention Centers on Saturday, February 28.
We will meet at El Camino and Jefferson in Redwood City from 11-12:30. Bring your signs: MELT ICE, STOP PUTTING HUMANS IN WAREHOUSES, EVERYONE DESERVES DUE PROCESS and whatever makes you feel empowered!
The Most Powerful Crime Syndicate in History
Lawrence: Nothing has separated voters from Trump more than the Epstein ‘cover-up’
Publisher: MS Now
Recommended by: Bruce R.
After The New York Daily News called the Trump administration “the most powerful crime syndicate in history,” MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains why a new poll shows more voters believe Donald Trump is covering up Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation
Our studies in civil resistance offer insight into the level of popular organizing needed to repel assaults on democracy.
by Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Publisher: The Guardian
Recommended by: Bob B.
In the wake of two horrifying killings of legal observers in Minnesota, on top of the abduction of countless immigrant community members, the country has reached a turning point. Backlash against ICE’s lawlessness and aggression has reverberated so loudly that even Trump has heard it. But the effects on ordinary Americans contemplating what they would do if they lived in Minneapolis or St Paul is perhaps even more profound.
The extraordinary level of grassroots solidarity and creative resistance in anti-ICE protests in Minnesota has given people a new appreciation for the power that mass non-cooperation can have in resisting the Trump administration’s drive toward authoritarianism. And it has created an awareness of why such action is clearly needed.
See also:
2025-06-14 No Kings Day – Palo Alto (past event)
2026-02-13 Portola Valley: Work Party for Making “Know Your Rights” Kits (past event)
Indivisible Portola Valley has made about 5000 Know Your Rights Kits and aims to make 3000 more at this work party at a private residence.
These photos or videos may be downloaded and used freely for non-commercial purposes or by bona fide media services, provided that the photographer and Pro Bono Photo are credited whenever they are used. (ProBonoPhoto.org/PHOTOGRAPHER’S NAME). The photographer retains copyright to the photos or videos. This is a CC-NC-BY-4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The photographer at this event was Sonny Mencher.
For more information about Pro Bono Photo photographers, see http://www.ProBonoPhoto.org/Who-We-Are.
2026-02-08 Santa Clara: ICE Protest at the Super Bowl (past event)
A protest of the actions of ICE and the Trump administration more generally, held near Levi Stadium while the Super Bowl game was taking place there.
These photos or videos may be downloaded and used freely for non-commercial purposes or by bona fide media services, provided that the photographer and Pro Bono Photo are credited whenever they are used (ProBonoPhoto.org/PHOTOGRAPHER’S NAME). The photographer retains copyright to the photos or videos. This is a CC-NC-BY-4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The photographers at this event were Sammy Braxton-Haney, John Weekes, and Nate Love.
https://www.probonophoto.org/2026/8Feb26SantaClara-ICESuperbowl
2026-02-08 Redwood City: Protest ICE before the Super Bowl (past event)
A protest of ICE timed for the morning of the Super Bowl. Redwood City, corner of Jefferson Ave. and El Camino Real.
These photos or videos may be downloaded and used freely for non-commercial purposes or by bona fide media services, provided that the photographer and Pro Bono Photo are credited whenever they are used (ProBonoPhoto.org/PHOTOGRAPHER’S NAME). The photographer retains copyright to the photos or videos. This is a CC-NC-BY-4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The photographers at this event were Sonny Mencher and Don Rasmussen.
https://www.probonophoto.org/2026/8Feb26RC-ICESuperbowl
Old Event Notice: Protest ICE Before SuperBowl
Sunday, February 8, 11am – 12:30pm PST
Location: El Camino and Jefferson Ave
This will be a protest in Redwood City at El Camino and Jefferson Ave to support all cities–especially Minneapolis–that are standing up to ICE. Honoring those who were killed: Alex Pretti & Renee Good and their families and friends. Another man shot in Arizona on the 27th and currently not named is in critical condition. And 6 who died in immigration detention just since Jan 1st! Honoring others who were arrested illegally and sent to secret jails where their families cannot find them…. There are rumors that ICE is coming to our area during Super Bowl as they want to punish us AND are losing their minds that Bad Bunny is the half time act and will sing in Spanish…so we need to be ready and show our power to stand up. If ICE is here by then we will have updates and more to do. I’ll be updating this information.
2026-02-07 ICE Out for Good Protest (past event)
These photos or videos may be downloaded and used freely for non-commercial purposes or by bona fide media services, provided that the photographer and Pro Bono Photo are credited whenever they are used (ProBonoPhoto.org/PHOTOGRAPHER’S NAME). The photographer retains copyright to the photos or videos. This is a CC-NC-BY-4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The photographers at this event were Jillian Lovett, Zach Lovett, and Jesse Kornblum
Saturday, February 7, 3 – 4:30pm PST
Location: Gateway Plaza, 790 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040
We will peacefully gather to stand up to this MAGA regime of bullies for billionaires that is destroying lives and undermining our country. We will demand that ICE be defunded and dismantled as a secret, masked police force that terrorizes people—especially people of color—across the country.
We will gather to speak the truth and demand accountability and justice for the ongoing pattern of ICE violence and abuse.
We will:
– Call for ICE to leave our communities
– Build public pressure
– Create space for grief, solidarity, and collective action
We will share Know Your Rights cards, information on how to report ICE activity, and educational leaflet on how ICE has become a building block of authoritarianism so you can spread the word.
Please join us and bring your friends and neighbors. We need to be in the streets, showing how crucial it is that we defend democracy.
Organized by It’s Blue Turn and Together We Will Palo Alto/Mountain View
A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.
Beyond MAGA
A Profile of the Trump Coalition
by: Stephen Hawkins, Daniel Yudkin, PhD, Tim Dixon, and Jason Mangone
Publisher: More in Common US
Recommended by: Bob B.
A Coalition, Not a Cult
There is an image at the heart of American politics: a sea of
red-hat-wearing MAGA supporters at a Trump campaign rally,
representing the millions of Americans who voted for him over the past
three elections — 63 million in 2016, 74 million in 2020, and 77
million in 2024. Yet this image is misleading. President Trump has
built a coalition, not a cult. This coalition shares many common
concerns, from unregulated immigration to progressive overreach to
American decline. But it also contains groups with distinct
identities, competing priorities, and clashing worldviews. And while
there is a strong core of ardent Trump supporters whose identity is
wrapped up in the MAGA movement, they represent a minority: only 38
percent of Trump voters say that being MAGA is important to them.
The Four Types of Trump Voters
- The Reluctant Right
- MAGA Hardliners
- Anti-Woke Conservatives
- Mainline Republicans
A community organizer’s guide to Signal group chats
Key privacy settings and best practices.
by Stevie Bonifield
Publisher: The Verge
Recommended by Bruce R and EFF
With ICE and CBP roaming the streets, united community action is more important than ever right now — from local mutual aid groups to school safety patrols. Known for its privacy features and end-to-end encryption, the Signal messaging app has become a popular platform for organizing these community groups.
Signal can be a great tool for private messaging, but it’s at its best if you know how to use all the privacy options. Not all of these options are automatic or even immediately obvious; there are also some best practices that are helpful for participating in and leading group chats.
Bruce Springsteen – Streets Of Minneapolis
This Is an Uprising
How Nonviolent Revote Is Shaping the Twenty-first Century.
by Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Recommended by: Bob B.
In a book that has become a modern classic of social movement organizing, Mark and Paul Engler explain that there is a craft to uprising—and that this craft can change the world.
From protests around climate change and immigrant rights, to #BlackLivesMatter and movements to defend democracy, a new generation is unleashing strategic nonviolent action to shape public debate and force political change. While mass movements are often portrayed as spontaneous and unpredictable, Mark and Paul Engler explore the hidden art behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest.
Now updated with new material discussing the major mobilizations of the past decade—including #MeToo, protests for racial and climate justice, and anti-Trump resistance—This Is an Uprising shows how new protest movements can be essential in fighting authoritarianism and advancing social and economic justice today.
Their substack: “Dispatches from the Whirlwind”
A timeline of Donald Trump’s many (alleged) crimes and convictions
Buckle up: there’s a lot to get through
Publisher: Cosmopolitan
Recommended by: Steve G.
It’s hard to believe that Donald Trump has only been back in office for a year, given the relentless news cycle he seems so obsessed with commanding (once a reality star, always a reality star?). From ordering especially high numbers of thuggish ICE agents into states that voted for his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, to belittling allies in Europe (much to the delight of Russia’s President Putin), Trump sadly shows no signs of ending the chaos that is impacting the lives of millions the world over.
So, what has Trump actually been accused – and convicted – of over the years? Here’s a timeline recapping the key cases…
(Note: As of early 2026, no further criminal trials involving Trump are scheduled to take place while he is president, although appeals and civil enforcement actions remain ongoing.)
2026-01-17 – NO WAR ON VENEZUELA (past event)
The photographer at this event was Sonny Mencher. The photographer retains copyright to the photos or videos. This is a CC-NC-BY-4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
https://www.probonophoto.org/2026/17Jan26RedwoodCityNoWar
Time
Saturday, January 17
11am – 12:30pm PST
Location
El Camino at Jefferson
1250 Jefferson Ave, Redwood City, CA 94062
A Call to Freeze ICE
Suspend all ICE activities pending judicial review of their methods.
By: Antonia Scatton

Publisher: Reframing America
There are many, many demands we can make about ICE including reforming it, replacing it with something better, or at minimum, repealing the recent massive funding increases. But those take time. We need action now. We need to call for an immediate suspension of activities, an appropriately named “freeze,” to stop the harm right now. A temporary freeze is a good place to start. It is both drastic and reasonable.
WHAT: Our Demands
- FREEZE OPERATIONS pending LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW: Immediately suspend ICE activities and have agents withdraw to their local base. All out-of-state agents conducting “surge” activities should be returned to their home states until further notice.
- DETAINEE STATUS REPORT: No more “disappearing” people.
- List and account for every person detained or arrested by ICE and where they are now (including whether those detained were/are U.S. Citizens, people following the legal immigration process, previous status as a humanitarian parolee, DREAMers, long term residents with no record of violent crime, etc.)
- Every detained person must have the ability to contact their families and access legal representation and a fair and timely hearing.
- Assess the conditions of all detention facilities and assure that all detainees are being held under humane and legal conditions.
- INCIDENT REPORT: No more extrajudicial violence.
- Immediate inventory of all incidents involving shootings, beatings, injury, death, use of chemical weapons, as well as confrontation, investigation and/or arrest of protesters, legal observers, or U.S. citizens.
- Review the legality of above incidents and whether they violate constitutional rights, specifically the First, Fourth and Tenth Amendments of the Constitution.
- All cases of illegal arrest and use of force and/or violation of Constitutional rights should be referred to appropriate jurisdictions for prosecution.
- OPERATIONAL LIMITS:
- ICE must only arrest specific persons using judicial warrants. No racial profiling. No arrests in schools, churches, or medical facilities. ICE must not enter private homes or businesses without search warrants.
- ICE is not to conduct non-immigration-related law enforcement.
- DHS/ICE must provide and commit to clear definitions as to who is eligible for arrest on immigration law violations and why, such as record of being convicted of a violent crime or having crossed the border outside legal border crossings and being ineligible for the asylum process. DHS/ICE must provide and commit to clear definition of who is not eligible for arrest.
- DHS/ICE must agree to crystal clear terms of engagement and use of force: when agents are allowed to stop people, ask for identification, or draw and/or use weapons including vehicles, guns and chemical weapons.
- All arrests must be carried out with respect for due process and the Constitutional rights of suspects.
- Agents must not wear masks. Agents must identify themselves; with their name, department/division and badge number clearly visible. Vehicles must be clearly identified as ICE or DHS. Agents must use body cameras at all times.
- ENFORCEMENT AND RIGHTS OF OBSERVERS:
- DHS and ICE must agree to these terms before resuming operations. Concrete consequences of violating these terms must be laid out in advance and enforced.
- Protesters and legal observers must be provided clear definitions of their rights and responsibilities. Constitutional rights to protest and observe must be respected. We need clear definitions of what does or does not constitute “interfering” with federal agents. Consequences of clearly unlawful interference should be clearly defined in advance and proportionate, not a free pass for extrajudicial violence or murder.
- DHS/ICE must defer to and coordinate with state and local law enforcement. Agents should not operate without the approval of state leadership. Local law enforcement must be able to supervise activities and stop any violations. DHS and the FBI must share all evidence of incidents and work with state and local law enforcement on all investigations.
More Reframing America articles
If We Burn
The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution
by: Vincent Bevins
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Recommended by: Bob B. – Vincent Bevins presents “a more nuanced picture of the 3.5% rule, with data showing that mass protests don’t always lead to the change that protestors want.”
From 2010 to 2020, more people participated in protests than at any other point in human history. Yet we are not living in more just and democratic societies as a result. Acclaimed journalist Vincent Bevins carried out hundreds of interviews around the world, guided by a single, puzzling question: How did so many mass protests lead to the opposite of what they asked for?
The result is a stirring work of history that connects events in a dozen countries and reveals that conventional wisdom on revolutionary change is gravely misguided. From the so-called Arab Spring to Gezi Park in Turkey, from Ukraine’s Euromaidan to student rebellions in Chile and Hong Kong, Bevins provides a blow-by-blow account of street movements and their consequences, recounted in gripping detail. In this groundbreaking study of an extraordinary chain of events, protesters and major actors look back on successes and defeats, offering urgent lessons for the future.
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson explores the origins of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
• He breaks down the historical context, showing how Jefferson drafted it and Franklin and Adams edited it.
• The book highlights how those words shaped the American Dream and remain relevant in today’s polarized times.
Ali Velshi interviews Walter Isaacson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Keep Your Guard Up
Know Your Rights
By ACLU
Last month, the Bay Area braced for a surge of National Guard soldiers and federal immigration agents. Although Trump ultimately called off the troops, in the short time Border Patrol officers were here, they fired flash-bang grenades at peaceful community members and shot a pastor in the face with a pepper ball. The unprovoked violence was a chilling glimpse of how future immigration raids could unfold here. That’s why we can’t become complacent.
Be prepared and know your rights in case federal agents show up anywhere in our region:
- Know Your Rights: Encountering Law Enforcement and Military Troops
- Know Your Rights: Taking Video or Photos of Law Enforcement
- Know Your Rights: Free Speech, Protests & Demonstrations
- Know Your Rights: If ICE Confronts You
This is from the ACLU’s Know Your Rights page.
This Is the Way You Beat Trump — and Trumpism
Retribution
Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America
by Jonathan Karl
Publisher: Dutton
Recommended by: Steve Gadol
The must-read new book from Jonathan Karl, the author of New York Times bestsellers Tired of Winning, Betrayal, and Front Row at the Trump Show
In Retribution, Jonathan Karl’s unparalleled access brings us behind closed doors deep inside the White House and presidential campaigns, revealing the extraordinary moments that ended one man’s presidency and brought another back to power.
This is a story of unprecedented political plot twists, showing what happened behind the scenes as political fortunes fell and rose again, and as a new team coalesced around President Trump with the goal of creating an entirely new world order. From President Biden’s shocking withdrawal and Vice President Harris’s historic run, to the multiple assassination attempts on President Trump, his election, and the changes he has brought to every corner of the country, this book reveals in surprising new detail how we got here, and what we can expect from American politics in the years to come.
Interview with Jonathan Karl about Retribution
Autocrats vs. Democrats
China, Russia, America and the New Global Disorder
by Michael McFaul
Publisher: Mariner Books
“A history, an analysis, and a set of prescriptions for the greatest geopolitical challenge of our time: the threat to the democratic world posed by China and Russia.” —Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc.
“A monumental account of contemporary geopolitics”—Francis Fukuyama, author of Liberalism and Its Discontents
From New York Times bestselling author and former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul comes a bold, clear-eyed look at how the autocracies of China and Russia are challenging the current global order, and how America’s future depends on successfully confronting this threat.
Community Conversation – October 23, 2025
With Anna Eshoo and Genavieve Koenigshofer
Listen to retired US Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Genavieve Koenigshofer, Executive Director of GenUP, speak at the amazing event organized by IPV leader, JoAnn Loulan, with video by Bruce Rafnel.
No Kings 2 – Parade & Fair
Stanford University journalism students made this video of the Parade up Embarcadero to the Democracy Fair at Rinconada Park. The video includes IPV organizer JoAnn Loulan speaking about how important it is to VOTE YES ON PROP 50!
No Kings 2 – Sam Liccardo
by Bruce Rafnel
Location: Palo Alto, CA; 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rinconada Cultural Park.
Organizers
- It’s Blue Turn – https://itsblueturn.com/
- Indivisible Palo Alto – https://indivisiblepaloaltoplus.org/
- Indivisible Portola Valley – https://indivisiblepv.com/
- Indivisible Mid-Peninsula – https://indivisiblemp.org/
Event Program: https://tinyurl.com/u8wmfprf
No Kings 2 – Heham Sallam
by Bruce Rafnel
Location: Palo Alto, CA; 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rinconada Cultural Park.
Organizers
- It’s Blue Turn – https://itsblueturn.com/
- Indivisible Palo Alto – https://indivisiblepaloaltoplus.org/
- Indivisible Portola Valley – https://indivisiblepv.com/
- Indivisible Mid-Peninsula – https://indivisiblemp.org/
Event Program: https://tinyurl.com/u8wmfprf
No Kings 2 – Ladoris Cordell
by Bruce Rafnel
Location: Palo Alto, CA; 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rinconada Cultural Park.
Organizers
- It’s Blue Turn – https://itsblueturn.com/
- Indivisible Palo Alto – https://indivisiblepaloaltoplus.org/
- Indivisible Portola Valley – https://indivisiblepv.com/
- Indivisible Mid-Peninsula – https://indivisiblemp.org/
Event Program: https://tinyurl.com/u8wmfprf
No Kings 2 – Democracy Fair
by Bruce Rafnel
Location: Palo Alto, CA; 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rinconada Cultural Park.
IPV videographer, Bruce Rafnel, prepared this 47-minute video showing many of the activities and speakers at the Democracy Fair at Rinconada Park. Bruce’s coverage includes the closing program featuring retired CA Supreme Court Justice La Doris Cordell, Hesham Sallem of Stanford, Congressman Sam Liccardo, and many Indivisible collaborators.
Organizers
- It’s Blue Turn – https://itsblueturn.com/
- Indivisible Palo Alto – https://indivisiblepaloaltoplus.org/
- Indivisible Portola Valley – https://indivisiblepv.com/
- Indivisible Mid-Peninsula – https://indivisiblemp.org/
The Shadow President
How Russell Vought became Trump's Shadow President
by Andy Kroll
Publisher: ProPublica
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that insiders say they feel like “he is the commander in chief.”
What Vought has done in the nine months since Trump took office goes much further than slashing foreign aid. Relying on an expansive theory of presidential power and a willingness to test the rule of law, he has frozen vast sums of federal spending, terminated tens of thousands of federal workers and, in a few cases, brought entire agencies to a standstill. In early October, after Senate Democrats refused to vote for a budget resolution without additional health care protections, effectively shutting down the government, Vought became the face of the White House’s response. On the second day of the closure, Trump shared an AI-generated video that depicted his budget director — who, by then, had threatened mass firings across the federal workforce and paused or canceled $26 billion in funding for infrastructure and clean-energy projects in blue states — as the Grim Reaper of Washington, D.C. “We work for the president of the United States,” a senior agency official who regularly deals with the OMB told me. But right now “it feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.”
Watch: “We Want the Bureaucrats to Be Traumatically Affected”
How To Not Lose Your Sh!t
by Katie Paris and LaFonda Cousin
Publisher: Red Wine and Blue
Let’s be honest: this year has been a bit of a dumpster fire. Here at Red Wine & Blue, we’ve been hearing women in our community say they’re not sure how to make a difference — at least, not without totally losing their shit.
So we decided to tackle that question head-on with a brand-new podcast. It’s simply called How To Not Lose Your Sh!t and it’s hosted by our very own Katie Paris and LaFonda Cousin.
Katie, our founder, has worked in political organizing for most of her career. LaFonda, our Chief People Officer, is a wellness expert and yoga teacher on a mission to reimagine self-care. Every week, they’ll talk to experts and everyday women who are getting involved, building community, and feeling better in the process.
You can listen to our first episode with special guest Heather Cox Richardson on October 1st, with new episodes every Wednesday after that. If you’re already subscribed to the Red Wine & Blue podcast in your podcast player, you’ll automatically see new episodes each week here in your feed.
There are a lot of political podcasts out there already, and a lot of mental health and self-care shows too. What we want to do is reject that binary and explore how getting involved can actually be a form of not only caring for your community, but also yourself. We can’t wait for you to join us on a journey through self-care, politics, community, and tackling this difficult moment… together.
Mobilize.org
You can “filter” for events near you. You can also filter for the “type” of events or meetings.
Where are some current political events near you? Mobilize is a good place to start. https://www.mobilize.us/
From Mobilize’s About page:
Power to the People
Mobilize is your go-to destination for people-powered movements. We provide nonprofits, labor unions, political campaigns, and grassroots organizers the tech needed to create a more just, inclusive, and democratic world.
2025-10-18 – No Kings 2 (past event)
For videos, see no-kings/ posts for Oct. 18, 2025
Join Indivisible Portola Valley and Indivisible Palo Alto
- Gather at 855 El Camino on both sides of El Camino—Town & Country Shopping Center AND the Stanford side cross street Embarcadero!
- At 12:30 we will start our parade down BOTH sides of Embarcadero (on the sidewalk) to Rinconada Park for the Democracy Fair!
On June 14th we had 5000 folks–let’s represent the people who can’t be there and let people know WE ARE NOT GIVING UP! That’s what the administration wants-WE DISSENT! Costumes! Signs! Families!
The ONE THING You Can Do to Fight Fascism RIGHT NOW
by Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin
Publisher: The Ripple Effect Institute
Recommended by: Bruce R.
If it feels like America is sliding deeper into darkness—with voter suppression, book bans, gag orders, and fear spreading daily—you’re not alone. The truth is, fascism thrives when good people hesitate, but democracy grows stronger when ordinary people take action. You don’t need the full roadmap to change the world; you just need to take the next best step. Even the smallest action—whether it’s organizing in your community, speaking out at a school board meeting, or showing up for your neighbors—can disrupt authoritarianism and build momentum for lasting change. In this video, I’ll share why action is the antidote to despair and how you can start making a difference today, no matter your resources or time. History shows us that small acts, multiplied by thousands, topple regimes and create movements. Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment or the “perfect” leader—your courage matters now.
A FREE GUIDE FOR PROGRESSIVE LEADERS READY TO CREATE LASTING IMPACT
How to Lead Change Without Burning Out
Stop ICE Raids Alert Network
Nation-Wide Mobile Alert System
by Sherman Austin
The Stop ICE Raids Alert Network lets you send and receive mobile alerts about nearby ICE activity whenever and wherever it occurs.
No downloadable app required. StopICE works with technology already built into your phone. Send and receive mobile alerts via text message, or at stopice.net, from any mobile device with a tap of a button.
Adjust your notification settings at any time to receive alerts within a certain mile radius of your neighborhood.
Alerts are crowd-sourced by the public. This means alerts are sent directly by people from their communities.
Beyond Left & Right
Making Sense of Politics in a World of Increasing Misinformation and Manipulation
by Lorenzo Burton
Tired of the endless division, misinformation, and manipulation in today’s political climate?
Beyond Left & Right cuts through the noise to reveal how political systems truly function—and how to recognize when we’re being misled by those in power. In a world where confusion and bias are often used as tools of control, it helps you think more clearly, question more deeply, and see through the fog to understand what’s really going on.
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Publisher: ICNC
The website of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, has many links to resources, etc., including a comprehensive “resource library” of advice for activists and organizers, as well as material from scholars, the policy community, etc.
Website
What’s the Plan? With guest: Erica Chenoweth
Noncooperation & Targeting Pillars of Support
This handout describes some of the Pillars of Support.
Each time a pillar institution yields to or supports the regime, the regime grows stronger. In contrast, noncooperation — refusing to do what is expected, disrupting the normal course of events, and withdrawing support from unjust or illegal policies — weakens the regime and creates cracks in its foundation of power.
PDF Handout
Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
FRONTLINE goes inside the showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power.
President Donald Trump’s allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power, the legal pushback and the impact on the rule of law.
Continue reading Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law (full documentary) | FRONTLINEOne Million Rising
by Indivisible
Publisher: No Kings
Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations, rollbacks of civil rights, weaponized courts, and full-scale attacks on our democracy. We don’t have to wait until it’s too late. We can stop this. But it’ll take all of us—not just single days of mass action, but sustained organizing in our communities.
That’s why this summer, we’re launching One Million Rising—a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design. This is how we build people power that can’t be ignored. You’re invited to join us—and lead.
You can visit the site to see the recorded videos and access the training materials.
https://www.nokings.org/rise
Saving Democracy
A User's Manual for Every American: 2nd Edition: The Trump Era
by David Pepper
Publisher: St. Helena Press
Recommended by: Steve G.
Saving Democracy is that rare book that doesn’t simply diagnose the crisis our democracy faces, and the broader strategies that we must take to fight back…but it breaks it all down so that every reader understands the role she or he can play in their own lives.
Buy
Starts With Us
Based on decades of research from Columbia University Professor and Starts With Us Expert-in-Residence Peter T. Coleman, Ph.D., the Finding The Way Out Challenge is designed to help shape new habits and norms for political tolerance and courageous compassion. Think of it as a personalized boot camp for building a healthier national culture and repairing broken relationships across differences.
Latest Articles
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Crossing Party Lines
Our story begins in 2016 with two groups starting independently of one another — on opposite coasts of the United States. Coincidentally, both founders chose the same name, “Crossing Party Lines.” Their shared vision led them to create a volunteer platform to unite Americans through warm and engaging conversations. Prompted by a time of unprecedented political polarization, these two visionaries, their energetic team of volunteers, and over 3,000 CPL members are uniting America one conversation at a time. Donations to Crossing Party Lines, Inc. are 501(c)3) tax-deductible.
Latest Articles
Braver Angels
Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the political divide. Through community gatherings, real debates, and grassroots leaders working together, we’re offering America what it needs to overcome the bitterness of our partisan divide. Donations to Braver Angels are 501(c)3 tax deductible
Latest Articles
Sibling Cities USA
Sibling Cities USA facilitates cross-regional pairings of US cities to build deep relationships. IPV member, Bob Barrett, participated in the historic inaugural sibling cities pairing of Palo Alto, California and Bloomington, Indiana.
Living Room Conversations
LRC connects people across divides – politics, age, gender, race, nationality, and more – through guided conversations proven to build understanding and transform communities.
IPV is just getting started with Living Room Conversations. If you are interested in joining us for a conversation, please get in touch. Donations to Living Room Conversations are 501(c)3) tax-deductible.
How to Have Constructive Conversations
We must be willing to ‘talk about it’
Everyone in our democracy must be able to speak their minds about public issues. Speaking up needs to be safe, responsible, respectful and free. This includes airing differences, supplying facts, and explaining opinions and options.
Even in conversations with people with whom we seem to agree, it’s important to air differences. This can be challenging, yet it’s worth it because we can learn from each other.
Conversations with others who have very different perspectives, or whose views seem to be underinformed or based on inaccurate information, or different values, can be much harder.
Basic Guidelines:
- Be curious and listen to understand.
- Show respect and suspend judgment.
- Note any common ground as well as any differences.
- Be authentic and welcome that from others.
- Be purposeful and to the point.
- Own and guide the conversation.
How can we effectively navigate these varied circumstances? Here are five suggestions:
- It’s good to have a goal. You might want to learn about others’ perspectives and how they came to them. You might want to express your own views and be taken seriously. It’s best to be civil and constructive. If there’s a downward spiral, it’s OK to take a time out.
- Establish a personal connection. Tell stories from your life and ask about theirs; look for common themes. Ask, “I wonder…?” or “I’m curious about…” Note opportunities to bond and connect over shared experiences and interests. You also show respect when you ask: “What am I missing on this topic? How can I learn something more about this?”
- When something you disagree about comes up, you might ask: How did you develop that viewpoint? What is your source of information? What experiences shape your opinion? Focus on personal stories and look for areas you have in common. You might discuss values (e.g., caring, fairness, freedom, equality before the law, honesty). Or you might explore overlaps in specific situations. In what circumstances might one value take precedence? Why? We have a lot to learn from each other.
- Another approach is to get down to brass tacks and ask about democracy. Taking a suggestion from the book, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, you might pose a simple poll to them: on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being “I have no concerns about American democracy at all” and 10 being “American democracy is at the most serious risk in its history,” what number would you choose? Why? What might cause you to change your mind? There could be genuine curiosity about their explanations without having to agree with their viewpoints.
- Find ways to work together on a project of mutual interest. Schools? Performing Arts? Open Space? Fire Safety? This can demonstrate that democracy (e.g., disagreeing respectfully, setting rules and establishing fair processes, listening actively, etc.) can help produce wiser, fairer, more lasting, and more efficient outcomes.
Don’t Coerce. Listen First!
Beyond Conflict Institute reports “people perceive that the other side disagrees with them far more than is actually the case.”
So let’s find the courage to
- GET CURIOUS!
- ASK QUESTIONS!
- LISTEN TO LEARN!
- LOOK FOR COMMON GROUND!
- We can always agree to disagree.
- If things get heated, take a break!
Check out these articles for more:
Are we really as divided as we think? How dark forces are attempting to alienate us from our neighbours, The Toronto Star, April 25, 2023, by Frank Giustra
Yes, It’s Possible to (Gracefully) Talk Politics at Work, Harvard Business Review, October 30, 2020, by Raina Brands
Keeping It Civil: How To Talk Politics Without Letting Things Turn Ugly, NPR, April 12, 2019, by Caroline Kelly
No Kings
For the latest information about No Kings events, go to this website: https://www.nokings.org
About No Kings
In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice — America has No Kings. And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people. President Trump’s birthday parade was drowned out by protests in every state and across the globe. His attempt to turn June 14 into a coronation collapsed, and the story became the strength of a movement rising against his authoritarian power grabs.
Four months later, that movement roared back even stronger. On October 18, over seven million Americans joined 2,700+ events in all 50 states — a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined. What began in June as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy.
Now, President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.
The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings — and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger. “No Kings” is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.
Because this country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants. It belongs to We the People — the people who care, who show up, and who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
Resources
Signal and Whatsapp as Organizing Tools – Google Doc
Build Power Locally – Google Doc
Sustained Action Between & Beyond No Kings – Google Doc
No King YouTube Channel
Good Trouble Lives On Mass Call: Solidarity with the South
This Saturday, May 16th, the No Kings coalition is supporting “All Roads Lead to the South” in holding an emergency national day of action. We will stand in nonviolent solidarity against the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act and the coordinated effort to disenfranchise Black voters across the South.
This July, six years after the passing of civil rights hero Congressman Lewis, we will continue the fight for voting rights with the “Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action (GTLO).” This year’s GTLO is a three-day national mobilization to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis by doing what he loved most – organizing, acting, and registering voters. This year’s theme is “TEACH! REACH! PREACH!”, a call to demand “hands off our vote!” in the face of threats to our vote.
In this country, we do not answer to kings — not in the White House and not in our state houses. Power belongs to the people, and we the people will decide.
The fight is not over. We have unfinished business, and we will finish it together.
No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings, anywhere.Show More
Actor and Zen priest, Peter Coyote, on protest tactics
by Peter Coyote
This Substack post was reformatted and posted on Facebook.
Summary
I’m watching the Los Angeles reaction to ICE raids with trepidation and regret.
Three years ago I taught a class at Harvard on the “theater of protest”— designed to help people understand why so many protests turn out to be Republican campaign videos working directly against the interests of the original protest.
Continue reading Actor and Zen priest, Peter Coyote, on protest tacticsAttack from Within
How Disinformation is Sabotaging America
by Barbara McQuade
Publisher: Penguin Random House
UPDATED EDITION: The MSNBC legal analyst explores the impact of disinformation after the 2024 presidential election—and what Americans can do before it’s too late.
“A comprehensive guide to the dynamics of disinformation and a necessary call to theethical commitment to truth that all democracies require.” —Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny
Disinformation—the deliberate spreading of lies disguised as truth, whether from opportunists on the far right, misinformed media influencers, or others—is fragmenting America more than ever before, pushing the nation toward extreme views, civil unrest, and violence.
In this bestselling book, now with a new foreword by the author, Barbara McQuade identifies how disinformation is seeping into all facets of our society, causing havoc in our voting systems, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and the Capitol.
McQuade, an MSNBC legal analyst and former federal prosecutor confronts the ways disinformation is being weaponized to polarize voters, degrade our legal structures, and leverage the political influence of manipulators and authoritarians. Now newly updated, Attack from Within shows us how to fight back against misinformed, extremist thinking and work toward preserving America’s hard-won democracy.















