Publisher: NBC News
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, President Trump talks about the economy, the ongoing war with Iran and the possible path to peace.
Category: video
Rise Up, Sing Out Peninsula Watch Party
Sunday, June 14, 2026, 4:30 – 7:30pm PDT
On June 14, join us for Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment — an uplifting evening of music, community, and action. Hosted by the Committee for the First Amendment (CFA), this special livestream event will feature an all-star lineup including Jane Fonda, Patti Smith, Bette Midler, Rufus Wainwright, Joy Reid, Wilson Cruz, Broadway Inspirational Voices, and more.
Together, we’ll celebrate the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment — including the freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and protest — and the people power that protects them. Communities across the country will gather for local watch parties to livestream the 90-minute concert beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET.
Join us to sing along, connect with neighbors, share food and creativity, and celebrate the power we build when we come together. Whether you’re a longtime organizer or brand new to the movement, you’re invited to an evening of joy, inspiration, and collective action in support of democracy and freedom.
A core principle behind all No Kings 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 and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.
Sponsored by Indivisible Portola Valley & Indivisible Palo Alto Plus.
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.
How to Be a Dissident
By Gal Beckerman
Apr 21, 2026
Publisher: Crown
Recommended by: Bruce R
An invigorating guide to fighting back—part philosophy, part history, and part manual for living with integrity in an age of conformity and authoritarian drift
How do we push back in a world where political leaders wield fear and intimidation? Where digital technology dehumanizes and flattens us? We need role models, and in this engaging book, acclaimed writer Gal Beckerman goes looking for them. Drawing on the stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, from Socrates to Ai Weiwei, and thinkers like Hannah Arendt and Iris Murdoch, Beckerman reveals the defining characteristics these extraordinary figures share, a set of attributes and practices for anyone navigating the pressures of modern tyranny.
Structured around ten qualities—among them, Be Pessimistic, Be Funny, Be Reckless, and Be Immortal—this illuminating, surprising book blends intellectual history, biography, and cultural criticism. It charts a dissident’s journey from the solitary moment of recognizing the truth, through the risks of speaking it, to the legacy that can outlast a life. What makes dissidents tick? And how might we change when we encounter them?
Urgent and inspiring, Beckerman’s book shows that dissidence is a human capacity we can all cultivate, a refusal to betray one’s inner voice, no matter the cost. In a polarized America and a world sliding toward authoritarianism, we need dissidents—not only the jailed and martyred, but also those of us who face small daily compromises of conscience. How to Be a Dissident lights the way.
How To Resist Authoritarianism Without Losing Yourself | Gal Beckerman
VALOR Media Network and Kristofer Goldsmith (May 27, 2026)
Not in theory. Not in history books. Right now.
In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith speaks with Atlantic staff writer and author Gal Beckerman about his new book, How to Be a Dissident, and the deeper psychological questions raised by life under rising authoritarianism.
This conversation explores conformity, moral courage, propaganda, normalization, and the pressures that cause ordinary people to stay silent while democratic institutions erode around them.
But more importantly, we discuss what makes dissidents different, and Beckerman’s ten rules that shape them.
Drawing from dissident movements across history — and from the lived reality of the second Trump administration — Beckerman argues that resistance begins long before politics. It begins with the refusal to normalize cruelty, corruption, fear, and obedience.
Together, Kris and Gal discuss:
- Why authoritarianism depends on adaptation and exhaustion
- How propaganda reshapes identity and social behavior
- The psychological pressure to conform
- Why some people comply while others “sit apart”
- The role of community and “neighborism” in resisting authoritarian politics
- Why “hopeful pessimism” may be necessary for democratic survival
- What integrity looks like in moments of democratic decline
This is a conversation about how human beings behave when institutions fail — and how we choose who we become in the process.
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.
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.
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”
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
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”
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
What’s the Plan? With guest: Erica Chenoweth
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) | FRONTLINENo 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
Good Trouble Lives On Mass Call: Solidarity with the South
Sixty years after the fight for voting rights began on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we are back in Alabama because the attacks on our communities are escalating, and we refuse to slow down. 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 …
Callais Decision: Rapid Response Call
Join the No Kings Coalition as we break down the ins and outs of the Callais decision, what this means for you, and the future. You will hear from leaders from LDF, ACLU, and clients from the case.
Ojo con ICE: Entrenamiento para Entrenadores, Derechos de las Personas Inmigrantes
El abuso utilizado para ejecutar las leyes de inmigración nos pone en peligro a todos y especialmente a las personas no ciudadanas. Esta sesión nos dará las herramientas para entrenar a otros en temas básicos para que conozcan sus derechos como el derecho a permanecer callado, el derecho a rehusarse a ser registrado, y el derecho a grabar a ICE y a otros oficiales de la ley. También compartiremos mejores prácticas para reducir los riesgos al ejercer nuestros derechos. — No Thrones. No …
Eyes on ICE: Train the Trainer – Immigrants' Rights
Abusive immigration enforcement poses a threat to us all but places non-citizens at particular risk. This session will equip participants to train others on core Know Your Rights topics such as the right to remain silent, the right to refuse to consent to searches, and the right to record ICE and other law enforcement officials. We will also cover best practices for reducing risks when exercising rights. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings. On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show …
What’s Next after No Kings 3?
On March 28, millions of us made it clear: we don’t do kings in America. Our nonviolent movement is only growing. At our March 31 Mass Call, you’ll hear from leaders and fellow local activists to celebrate this historic mobilization and dig into what comes next. Join us.
Bruce Springsteen performs “Streets Of Minneapolis” before 200,000 at No Kings Flagship Rally
200,000 attended the No Kings flagship rally at the Minnesota State Capitol yesterday featuring Bruce Springsteen alongside national and local activists and leaders. “This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis,” Springsteen began. “Well, they picked the wrong city. The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country.” “Your strength and your commitment told us that this is still …
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White Rural Rage
The Threat to American Democracy
by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
In White Rural Rage, Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman explore why rural Whites have failed to reap the benefits from their outsize political power and why, as a result, they are the most likely group to abandon democratic norms and traditions. Their rage—stoked daily by Republican politicians and the conservative media—now poses an existential threat to the United States.
INTERVIEW: Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman talk to Matt Lewis Media
Buy
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?
- Perceive their environment
- Sense danger vs. reward
- Decide between danger and reward
- 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:
Democracy Requires Our Courage
Gov. J.B. Pritzker: “Tyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage”
Stand Together in Courage
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 PutschOutraged
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?
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
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
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
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:
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Greater economic opportunity and growth
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Schools that enable kids to reach their potential
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Effective & affordable healthcare
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Curbing the national debt
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Reliable, clean & affordable energy
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Fairer, simpler tax code
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Congress organized to resolve our differences
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.
News Feed
- The current Grand Bargain would produce vastly more benefits to society than the major legislation of this century, while shrinking the debt as a percentage of GDP.
- America’s housing crisis isn’t just a “housing” issue; it’s an economic mobility issue.
- For Independents, it’s not about reinventing the entire legislative process – it’s about re-designing the incentives and the system so that they work to benefit the American people.
- The avenue for unity already exists. The Grand Bargain Project is the roadmap to get us all there.
- Recently, our founder and CEO Sol Erdman, wrote about why the Grand Bargain framework needed to be updated to include a 7th aspiration
- To uplift the aspirations of the American people and identify a roadmap that could achieve them.
- Generation Z – adults aged 18-29 – represented by far the lowest turnout in the 2024 election, with only around 20 million voting despite more than double that number being eligible.
- When communities struggle, the economy weakens, workforce shortages increase, and political divides deepen. If leaders continue to ignore these issues, the long-term consequences will be severe.
- America, much like our universe, has always been a nation in motion. It has weathered crises, conflicts, and economic upheavals, yet through the lens of history, the country maintains a sense of forward momentum.
- In a recent conversation with Lura Forcum, President at the Independent Center, it became clear just how much thought and purpose is driving this quiet movement. From voter education to future electoral influence, the Independent Center is carving out space for independents to belong and lead.
- Smart budgeting isn’t about reducing numbers on a spreadsheet for a single fiscal year it’s about building the conditions for long-term growth
- As individuals grow from childhood dependence to adult independence, true maturity comes when we recognize that we are stronger when we work together
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 PersonDemocracy Awakening
Notes on the State of America
by Heather Cox Richardson
Publisher: Penguin Random House
At a time when the very foundations of American democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a road map for navigating a moment of political crisis. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy, tracing the roots of Donald Trump’s “authoritarian experiment” to the earliest days of the republic. She examines the historical forces that have led to the current political climate, showing how modern conservatism has preyed upon a disaffected population, weaponizing language and promoting false history to consolidate power.
With remarkable clarity and the same accessible voice that brings millions to her newsletter, Letters from an American, Richardson wrangles a chaotic news feed into a story that pivots effortlessly from the Founders to the abolitionists to Nixon to the January 6 insurrection. An essential read for anyone concerned about the state of America, Democracy Awakening is more than a history book; it’s a call to action. Richardson reminds us that democracy requires constant vigilance and participation from all of us, showing how we, as a nation, can take the lessons of the past to secure a more just and equitable future.
Heather Cox Richardson | Democracy Awakening
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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 Conspiracy to End America
Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
by Stuart Stevens
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Former chief Republican strategist, Lincoln Project adviser, and bestselling author of It Was All a Lie, Stuart Stevens offers an ominous warning that the GOP is dragging our country toward autocracy—and if we don’t wake up to the crisis in our system, 2024 may well be our last free and fair election.
INTERVIEW: Stuart Stevens talks to Brian Watt (KQED) at the Commonwealth Club
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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:
- Avoid amplifying MAGA messages.
- 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.
Why Do Conservatives Fall For Fake News?
Leeja Miller’s deep dive into how people fall for fake news. (28 min.)
Why do conservatives fall for fake news? Is it just them, or are we all culpable? How did Americans become so susceptible to falling for disinformation? And what can we do about it??
Peril
by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Woodward and Costa interviewed more than 200 people at the center of the turmoil, resulting in more than 6,000 pages of transcripts—and a spellbinding and definitive portrait of a nation on the brink. This classic study of Washington takes readers deep inside the Trump White House, the Biden White House, the 2020 campaign, and the Pentagon and Congress, with vivid, eyewitness accounts of what really happened.
Woodward and Costa on Washington Post Live
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Ash Center
for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Publisher: Harvard Kennedy School
Recommended by Bob B.
The Ash Center believes that diverse perspectives are paramount to better understanding and addressing real-world problems. As a global community that brings together students, faculty, staff, and fellows, with practitioners and policymakers from around the world, we focus on advancing excellence in democracy and self-government. We are committed to fostering an environment of rigor, curiosity, and integrity. As a Center, we therefore value and respect different opinions, lived experiences, and diverse research and policy areas and approaches. We continue to strive for excellence while creating an equitable and inclusive community for all.
Ash Center YouTube
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky
Sign up for the next session with the link after this image.
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky – April 30, 2026
Speakers include:
Erica Chenoweth, Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School
Steven Levitsky, David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government at Harvard UniversityShow More
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky – April 30, 2026
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the sixth session of The Breakdown, a webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward. Speakers include: Erica Chenoweth, Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School Steven Levitsky, David Rockefeller …
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky – March 24, 2026
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the fifth session of The Breakdown, a webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward. Speakers include: Erica Chenoweth, Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School Steven Levitsky, David Rockefeller …
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the fourth session of The Breakdown, a webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward.
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the third session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward.
The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the second session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward.
The Breakdown (Inaugural Session)
Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the inaugural session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy. Each month, Chenoweth and Levitsky will break down key developments, reflect on this moment’s historical precedents both at home and abroad, and offer evidence-based reflections on the path forward.
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.
Why We Did It
A Travelogue From the Republican Road to Hell
by Tim Miller
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Recommended by: Cindi Sears
In a bracingly honest reflection on both his own past work for the Republican Party and the contortions of his former peers in the GOP establishment, Tim Miller draws a straight line between the actions of the 2000s GOP to the Republican political class’s Trumpian takeover, including the horrors of January 6th.
From ruminations on the mental jujitsu that allowed him as a gay man to justify becoming a hitman for homophobes, to astonishingly raw interviews with former colleagues who jumped on the Trump Train, Miller diagrams the flattering and delusional stories GOP operatives tell themselves so they can sleep at night. With a humorous touch he reveals Reince Priebus’ neediness, Sean Spicer’s desperation, Elise Stefanik and Chris Christie’s raw ambition, and his close friends’ submission to a MAGA psychosis.
Why We Did It is a vital, darkly satirical warning that all the narcissistic justifications that got us to this place still thrive within the Republican party, which means they will continue to make the same mistakes and political calculations that got us here, with disastrous consequences for the nation
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High Conflict
Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out
by Amanda Ripley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Recommended by: Cindi, Bob & Linda
When we are baffled by the insanity of the “other side”—in our politics, at work, or at home—it’s because we aren’t seeing how the conflict itself has taken over. That’s what “high conflict” does. It’s the invisible hand of our time. And it’s different from the useful friction of “healthy conflict”. That’s good conflict, and it’s a necessary force that pushes us to be better people.
Read Review
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Insurgency
How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted
by Jeremy W. Peters
Publisher: Random House Publishing House
NYTimes reporter, Jeremy W. Peters’ epic narrative chronicles the fracturing of the Republican Party. Insurgency is a fantasia-like story of a party establishment that believed it could control the dark energy it helped foment—right up until it suddenly couldn’t. How, Peters asks, did conservative values that Republicans claimed to cherish, like small government, fiscal responsibility, and morality get completely eroded?
Read Review
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How Civil Wars Start
and How To Stop Them
by Barbara F. Walter
Publisher: Crown
Barbara F. Walter, a political science professor at U.C. San Diego, has spent over three decades studying civil conflict. Over the last two decades, the number of active civil wars around the world has almost doubled. Walter reveals the warning signs—where wars tend to start, who initiates them, what triggers them—and why some countries tip over into conflict while others remain stable. Drawing on the latest international research and lessons from over twenty countries, Walter identifies the crucial risk factors, from democratic backsliding to factionalization and the politics of resentment. A civil war today won’t look like America in the 1860s, Russia in the 1920s, or Spain in the 1930s. It will begin with sporadic acts of violence and terror, accelerated by social media. It will sneak up on us and leave us wondering how we could have been so blind.
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Unthinkable
Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy
by James Raskin
Publisher: Harper
In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capital, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence.
Jamie Raskin in conversation at The National Arts Club
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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!”
Betrayal
The Final Act of the Trump Show
by Johnathan Karl
Publisher: Dutton
This is the explosive look at the aftermath of the 2020 election–and the January 6th uprising–from ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl. Jonathan Karl, the reporter who has known Donald Trump longer than any other White House correspondent, Karl told the story of Trump’s rise in the New York Times bestseller Front Row at the Trump Show. Now he tells the story of Trump’s downfall, complete with riveting behind-the-scenes accounts of some of the darkest days in the history of the American presidency and packed with original reporting and on-the-record interviews with central figures in this drama who are telling their stories for the first time.
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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.
Laboratories of Autocracy
A Wake-Up Call From Behind The Lines
by David Pepper
Publisher: St. Helena Press
Recommended by: Cindi Sears
David Pepper shows that far more than the high-profile antics of national politicians and Trump himself, it’s anonymous, often corrupt politicians in statehouses across the country who pose the greatest dangers to American democracy. Amid all the chaos, these statehouses are hard at work, every day, hacking away at core principles and protections of our democratic system. And they’re getting more audacious every year.
Because these statehouses no longer operate as functioning democracies, these unknown politicians have all the incentive to keep doing greater damage, and can not be held accountable however extreme they get. This has driven steep declines in states like Ohio and others across the country. And collectively, it’s placed American democracy in its greatest peril since the dawn of the Jim Crow era.
But Pepper doesn’t stop there. He lays out a robust pro-democracy agenda outlining how everyone from elected officials to business leaders to everyday citizens can fight back.
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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.
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Ruth Ben-Ghiat interviewed by Dean Peter Arnade at University of Hawai
There’s Nothing For You Here
Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century
by Fiona Hill
Publisher: Mariner Books
A celebrated foreign-policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the grim path of modern Russia – and draws on her personal journey out of poverty, and her unique perspectives as a historian and policy maker, to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places.
Fiona Hill grew up in a world of terminal decay. The last of the local mines had closed, businesses were shuttering, and despair was etched in the faces around her. Her father urged her to get out of their blighted corner of northern England: “There is nothing for you here, pet,” he said.
The coal-miner’s daughter managed to go further than he ever could have dreamed. She studied in Moscow and at Harvard, became an American citizen, and served three U.S. Presidents. But in the heartlands of both Russia and the United States, she saw troubling reflections of her hometown and similar populist impulses. By the time she offered her brave testimony in the first impeachment inquiry of President Trump, Hill knew that the desperation of forgotten people was driving American politics over the brink—and that we were running out of time to save ourselves from Russia’s fate. In this powerful, deeply personal account, she shares what she has learned, and shows why expanding opportunity is the only long-term hope for our democracy.
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Twilight of Democracy
The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
Recommended by: Linda and Cindi
Despotic leaders do not rule alone; they rely on political allies, bureaucrats, and media figures to pave their way and support their rule. The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents.
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Authoritarian Nightmare
The Ongoing Threat of Trump's Followers / Trump and His Followers
by John W. Dean and Bob Altemeyer
Publisher: Melville House
John Dean, of Watergate fame, joined with Bob Altemeter, an expert on authoritarianism, to look at the entirety of the Trump phenomenon, using psychological and social science studies, as well as polling analyses, to understand Donald Trump’s followers. How did America end up with a leader who acts so crudely and despotically, and counter to our democratic principles? Why do his followers stick with him, even when he acts against their interests?
John Dean interview on Democracy Now
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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.
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
Latest Posts
- This week's video
- Was he just stressed, or is he laying the groundwork for contesting the midterms, or is he showing increasing signs of dementia?
- Trump suck-ups are poisoning America — not just inside the U.S. government
- So don't break out the champagne about Friday's jobs report
- The dictator doesn't want "60 Minutes" to report the truth
- And last week's winner
- Trump has shown us why we need a good and decent government
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Trump’s Most Unhinged Rant Yet?
Trump’s Most Unhinged Rant Yet?
I can’t get past Trump’s latest unhinged rant. It’s more dangerous than I think anyone, especially those in the media, even realize.
The Hidden Danger of America's Wealth Gap
Taxing the rich is absolutely essential to saving our economy and our democracy. Don’t believe me? Look at this chart.
What Advice Would I Give to Young People?
I get asked all the time what advice I’d give to younger generations. Here’s what I say.
This World War II PSA Warned Us About Fascism
“In this country, we have no ‘other people.’ We are American people, all of is.” This 1940s film warning against bigotry and fascism is more relevant now than ever.
Trump's Misleading Jobs Report
Trump says the new jobs numbers are “OUTSTANDING.” Here’s what he’s not telling you.
Trump Gets Screwwormed | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich
What do we make of the AI revolt happening around the country? How worried should we be about the screwworm? What’s the media missing when covering the latest jobs report? Heather and I discuss the latest (from a very special location) on a brand new Coffee Klatch. Want to watch The Last Class at home? Rent it at: https://www.thelastclassfilm.com/
What Donald Trump Lost This Week
Trump is starting to lose something very important to him — and I’m not just talking about his mind. Watch.
Watch This Important Scott Pelley Speech
Scott Pelley gave an impassioned speech a year ago that’s worth watching today. Kudos to him and other 60 Minutes correspondents and staff for defending the media and our democracy.
Trump’s Grip on CBS Got Scott Pelley Fired
CBS just fired longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley after he spoke out against the network’s Trumpian turn under Bari Weiss and the Ellisons. Make no mistake: Trump is using the power of the state to help his billionaire pals control the media.
Trump's Scheme to Rig the Midterms
Voter fraud is so rare that a person is more likely to get struck by lightning than to cast a fraudulent ballot. So why does Trump keep bringing it up? To use it as a pretext to sabotage the midterms. 0:00 The imaginary boogeyman of voter fraud. 3:26 How to fight back against voter suppression.
My "Radical" Position From 2002 That's Not so Radical Now #equality #pride
Two decades ago, I took an unpopular position in support of marriage equality when I was running for Governor of Massachusetts. It might have cost me the primary, but it was the right thing to do. There are two lessons from this experience that I want to share with you.
What All Fascists Fear
Why is Trump spending so much time attacking our educators? My friend Randi Weingarten has the answer.
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