My dad was a holocaust refugee. He was born in Berlin and he and his parents fled in 1935. His mother (my grandmother) was born Christian. His father (my grandfather) was born Jewish. His paternal grandmother (my great grandmother) declined to leave with either of her sons (my great uncle took his young family to Australia). 1935 was early to see the writing on the wall (three years before Kristallnacht) and she (like most people) wasn’t there yet. By the time she realized, it was too late to get her out.
When she got her notice of transfer to a concentration camp, she went to my maternal great grandmother’s apartment and gave her the wedding ring she had worn for her entire adult life. She asked my maternal great grandmother (who was Christian and thus, at that time, safe) to give it to my grandmother when she next saw her. My dad’s maternal grandmother took the ring and let his paternal great-grandmother go off to her death. She was murdered, like so many others, in a camp.
After the war, my grandmother reunited with her parents and they gave her the ring. She was flabbergasted that they let her mother-in-law leave and go to her death and did nothing. She never spoke to them again. My great grandfather committed suicide a year later.
Not a very happy story. Not a usual GNR intro, I know.
But my story is not unique. We love the stories of the brave and amazing people who saved Jews. And with good reason. Those people were heroes. But those stories might leave us thinking that Europe was filled with brave people.
And it wasn’t. We shouldn’t forget the amazing people who risked their lives to save Jews and others, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves that it was common.
Most people were “good Germans.” They ignored the murders they knew were happening. They ignored the deportations. They ignored the cruelty. That is, unless they were a part of it.
This is the truth I was raised on. There are bad people in this world, but they are the minority.
But the “good Germans” are everywhere. And the bad people can’t function without them.
So here is where the good news comes in.
I have been blown away and brought to my knees with relief and joy to see the reaction to trump sending people to torture centers.
Yes, there are people who support this evil. There are people who are behind it and celebrate it.
But most of us are not acting like “good Germans.” There isn’t just a tiny group of people calling and marching and sharing the story and writing about it and raising their voices. Everywhere I look, people are talking about it and fighting to end this horror. Everyone I look people are pained by this situation. Millions of people are using their voices to stop this. Millions.
Being humbled by your pain at this situation sounds weird, but I am humbled by your pain. I am humbled and encouraged by the mass empathy and action.
No one cared when my family members were led to their death. No one marched for them. No one helped them. No one tried to save them.
People compare this situation to Germany in the 30s all the time. But we are not “good Germans.” That is not what I am seeing.
I am seeing a movement of people who care. I am seeing a movement of people filled with empathy. I am seeing courage. I am seeing action.
I am feeling hope.
Thursday night’s news brought me to my knees:
Sen. Van Hollen Meets With Abrego Garcia
Dem Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador in an attempt to meet with him and push for his release. Initially denied access, Van Hollen persisted until the Salvadoran government finally relented, allowing a meeting.
The fight to bring Abrego Garcia home continues, but this is a bit of progress—something Trump surely tried to prevent from happening.
x
Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador is a form of embodied protest and helped put Trump’s illegal deportation of Abrego Gracia on the front page of the NYT two days in a row.
As Bayard Rustin once said, “The only weapons we have are our bodies, and we need to tuck them in places so wheels don't turn.”
— Omar Wasow (@owasow.bsky.social) 2025-04-18T03:58:21.168Z
From Heather Cox Richardson
Today, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) posted a picture of himself with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom the Trump administration says it sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador through “administrative error” but can’t get back, and wrote: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
While the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, apparently tried to stage a photo that would make it look as if the two men were enjoying a cocktail together, it seems clear that backing down and giving Senator Van Hollen access to Abrego Garcia is a significant shift from Bukele’s previous scorn for those trying to address the crisis of a man legally in the U.S. having been sent to prison in El Salvador without due process.
Bukele might be reassessing the distribution of power in the U.S.
and now this:
Cory Booker to visit El Salvador in effort to return wrongly deported man to US
Cory Booker plans to travel to El Salvador, a source familiar with the New Jersey senator’s itinerary said, as Democrats seek to pressure the Trump administration to return a wrongly deported Maryland resident.
Several other Democratic lawmakers have signaled they would like to visit El Salvador and Cecot, including Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic caucus, and Robert Garcia, Yassamin Ansari and Maxwell Alejandro Frost, all members of the investigative House oversight committee. Delia Ramirez of the House homeland security committee has also asked for a visit to Cecot.
I was raised to believe that being a “good German” was barely better than being a Nazi. I was raised to believe that ignoring cruelty was how cruelty thrived.
And I have lived long enough to see millions and millions of Americans prove that we are not, and will never be, the “good Germans” that would be necessary for this evil to succeed in the long term.
I always end with this (and I will today) but I want to say it here and now too: I am so, so lucky and proud to be in this with all of you.
We give one another courage
Evert time someone refuses to give into them, it gives countless others courage. This week it was Harvard.
Why It Matters That Harvard Said No
Harvard said no. No to government minders, no to intellectual dishonesty, no to conservative DEI.
In a forceful letter of rebuke to the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal money from the university if it does not acquiesce to a series of “ham-handed” demands—including government audits to monitor “ideological capture”—Harvard president Alan M. Garber basically told the government to f--k all the way off. He said it in a more Harvard way, but that was the message.
Harvard’s defiance stands in embarrassing contrast to the actions of Columbia University, which, faced with similar demands, folded like a cheap diploma. (I’m exaggerating. In this country, there’s no such thing as a cheap diploma.)
It’s one institution, but an important one. We need more defiance. We need it from the Ivy League and from garden-variety institutions. We need it from Big Law and from the little guy. We need defiance because obeisance only invites further extortion.
Higher education serves many purposes. One of them is to train the next generation of leaders. By standing on principle, Harvard and other academic institutions are demonstrating what leadership looks like. This week, Harvard said no. How do you like dem apples?
Harvard Fights Back
the university’s president, Alan Garber, issued a powerful public rebuke to the Trump regime: “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
and it is spreading:
Bloomington Faculty Council adopts resolution to establish ‘Big Ten mutual defense compact’
The Bloomington Faculty Council passed a resolution April 8 to form a mutual academic defense compact for the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
The Rutgers University Senate passed the same resolution April 6 to establish an alliance with the Big Ten’s 18 universities to defend “academic freedom, institutional integrity and the research enterprise.” Rutgers called on the leadership of other Big Ten universities and their governing boards to implement the compact. For the coalition to be created, Big Ten leaders would have to convene a summit and initiate its implementation.
If a compact was established, its funds would be distributed to provide “immediate and strategic support to any member institution under direct political or legal infringement,” including legal counsel and representations, expert testimony, legislative advocacy and countersuit actions.
And if you are losing sleep over this. Stop — What Is Tax-Exempt Status and Can the I.R.S. Revoke It From Harvard?
In a statement, Harvard said that there was no legal basis for rescinding its tax status. Any attempt to take away Harvard’s tax exemption would be likely to face a legal challenge, which tax and legal experts expect would be successful.
“Harvard would argue there’s a violation of its free speech and academic freedom,” Ms. Krishna said. “I think it would be highly, highly unlikely that the government would win.”
People are seeing that he is messing up
Every week we see more and more people waking up to this mess.
Donald Trump's Approval Rating Breaks Unwanted Record
Trump has set a new, and unwelcome, benchmark in his presidency. According to fresh polling data, his net approval rating among independent voters has sunk to a record low, surpassing even the most unfavorable numbers from his previous term.
According to CNN pollster Harry Enten, Trump's net approval rating among independents has gone from negative 16 percent in 2017 to negative 22 percent in 2025, meaning the president has "broken his own record."
x
New from me: Trump's job approval rating on the economy is now at an all-time low, even worse than during COVID-19. Opinion in his handling of inflation is at -18 on average! He has now lost the GOP's single best political asset of the last decade.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/chart-of-t...
— G Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris.com) 2025-04-18T12:08:29.778Z
All Fingers Point to Trump
Recent polls suggest that a growing number of Americans are holding President Donald Trump responsible for ongoing financial market instability and deteriorating economic prospects. As market volatility intensifies, the connection between presidential policies and economic outcomes has become a focal point of public discourse, raising concerns among investors and the public alike.
the polling data indicates that the public is connecting the dots between Trump’s administration decisions and current economic outcomes. The Morning Consult survey shows that 55% of independent voters who supported Trump in the 2024 election are beginning to question their vote when it comes to his economic approach, which will become an even more significant vulnerability if these perceptions calcify. A CBS poll indicates that Americans rank economic stability as their top priority (76%), outpacing other concerns including immigration (68%) and healthcare (63%).
Business leaders have also begun voicing concerns. The most recent CEO Economic Outlook Survey shows that planned capital investments have declined by 12% compared to projections from December 2024, with uncertainty about policy direction cited as the primary factor in delayed investment decisions.
and DONT let people tell you that we should keep quiet on immigration because his policies are popular. They aren’t.
Trump's immigration agenda is not popular
The vast majority — 82% — of Americans believe Trump should obey court orders even if he disagrees with them, and 56% think he should stop "deporting people"
For example, when various pollsters asked if they would support deporting immigrants who have been here more than 10 years (as in the case of Abrego Garcia), U.S. adults said "no" by a 37 percentage point margin; Americans disapprove of deporting immigrants who have broken no laws other than laws governing entry; they oppose deporting U.S. citizens convicted of crimes to foreign jails, such as CECOT, and they oppose housing migrants at Guantanamo Bay while they are processed. All of these are policies the Trump administration has now floated or is actively carrying out.
We Are Stronger, He Is Weaker
Trump’s approval rating has fallen by 13-16 points depending on the poll since his Inauguration. His standing with groups critical to his win - Hispanics, young people, independents - has cratered. The influential U of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey had it’s second lowest reading since the early 1950s last week.
Here is this week’s Economist/YouGov tracking poll. Trump’s job approval is 42%-52% (-10), down a staggering 16 points from his first week. Here are those three groups that were critical to his win:
Donald Trump’s approval rating is dropping He is beating his own record for rapidly annoying American voters
Trump’s Zeal to Ruin Immigrant Lives Could Backfire
Just last week, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration—intentionally, erroneously—declared more than 6,300 lawful immigrants dead by putting them on a “death master list,” thereby canceling their Social Security numbers and cutting them off from benefits and bank accounts. The goal is to encourage these people to “self-deport” by enshrining a lie in law. Kafka couldn’t have made this up.
Now HUD officials are preparing a rule that would ban mixed-status households from public housing, and DOGE is looking to remove current mixed-status households, “vowing to ensure that undocumented immigrants do not benefit from public programs, even if they live with citizens or other eligible family members,” the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
We have already seen that community and media pressure can work to bring people home. But where, when, and how to organize that pressure when the Trump administration is creating so many problems at one time remains a challenge for Democrats and opponents of the administration. After Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s Oval Office farce this week, House Democrats announced plans to head to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who counts him as a constituent (even though Abrego Garcia can’t vote), traveled there on Wednesday and finally succeeded in securing a meeting with the prisoner on Thursday night.
Trump is overplaying his hand. His goal, clearly, is to convince a decisive portion of the population that immigrants are gang members and criminals, or that they otherwise don’t belong here. But Americans have always had nuanced views of immigration and they usually don’t include disappearing innocent men to El Salvador or stripping U.S. citizens of their rights.
Autocratic backfire
Autocratic backfire occurs when narcissistic leaders have insulated themselves from criticism by surrounding themselves with sycophants and loyalists. No one will tell them the truth, and religious collaborators tell them they are in office by divine will, and so they also end up believing their own propaganda about their invincibility, genius instincts, and infallibility. Then the stage is set for them to make momentous decisions on the basis of erroneous beliefs or personal ideological obsessions.
Normally the cycle of leaders amassing power and creating an echo chamber that leads to faulty policy takes years to develop, but America has accelerated this cycle
In February, I forecast that the magnitude of chaos and corruption would eventually cause a reckoning with Trumpism in America. The unexpectedly robust popular participation in more than 1,300 Hands Off! protests held on April 5, together with negative business and financial community reactions to the disastrous tariffs, suggest that disenchantment with MAGA is already growing.
Yet for the strongman, safe in his bubble of narcissistic willfulness and fantasy, being able to impose his unorthodox and highly personal policies on the world is what matters. When Trump writes that the tariffs are “a beautiful thing to behold,” I hear his satisfaction at forcing dozens of foreign countries to experience his power.
But I also hear the sound of another case study of autocratic backfire in the making. While the form it will take and the timing are uncertain, if history is any guide, a reckoning will come.
and when he loses popularity, people become more likely to stand up to him:
We are strong
There seems to be a change in the air.
Three days ago, on April 14, Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times wrote that the vibe is shifting against the right. Yesterday, former neocon and now fervent Trump critic and editor of The Bulwark Bill Kristol posted a photo of plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers kidnapping Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk, and commented: “Where does the ‘Abolish ICE’ movement go to get its apology.”
Today, in the New York Times, conservative David Brooks called for all those resisting what he called “a multifront assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men” to work together. He called for a “comprehensive national civic uprising” that would first stop Trump and then create “a long-term vision of a fairer society that is not just hard on Trump, but hard on the causes of Trumpism—one that offers a positive vision.”
Brooks is hardly the first to suggest that “this is what America needs right now.” But a conservative like Brooks not only arguing that “Trump is shackling the greatest institutions in American life,” but then quoting Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto to call for resistance to those shackles—“We have nothing to lose but our chains”—signals that a shift is underway.
That shift has apparently swept in New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, who is generally a good barometer of the way today’s non-MAGA Republicans are thinking. In an interview today, he said: “[M]y feelings about not only Trump, but the administration, are falling like a boulder going into the Mariana Trench. So the memory of things that this administration has done, of which I approve, is drowning in the number of things that are, in my view, reckless, stupid, awful, un-American, hateful and bad—not just for the country, but also for the conservative movement.”
Stephens identified Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s bullying of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office as the event that turned him away from Trump. “America should never treat an ally that way, certainly not one who is bravely fighting a common enemy,” he said. Stephens also noted the meeting had “delighted” Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, who is now “emboldened…to press the war harder.”
There is a huge storm building (and Trump should be scared)
I’ve been to four protests/rallies since the election, and I’d like to share some of my observations:
- The crowd sizes are increasing exponentially. The first one in Sacramento had perhaps two or three hundred people. This latest one blew away my expectations. Certainly, AOC and Sanders were a huge draw, but it was a Tuesday afternoon/evening in a red county.
- The demographics of the crowds have changed. The early protests felt like I was attending a reunion of former hippie protestors from the 1960’s and 1970’s. No offense intended, because those people accomplished amazing things. However, the age range was much more evenly distributed at this event. For the first time, I saw a large number of Gen Z’ers. I also met a substantial number of people who had never been to a protest rally.
- The message is more focused. At the first protest, I felt like I was at a pro-Palestinian protest with very little mention of Trump. Each subsequent protest has been less fragmented in its message and more unified. I love seeing all of the creative (and often humorous) new protest signs and shirts, but also seeing people stick to the themes that organizers identify.
Crowds have been building on Sanders’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in recent weeks, and the events have captured the sweep of Democrats’ emotions.
Making her way through the crowd at the cavernous Ford Idaho Center to see Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez this week, 31-year-old Kelsey Gowing confessed she had at first doubted she could persuade anyone to come with her in this deep-red state.
But now in the arena, she and 34-year-old Ariel Olvera — whom Gowing introduced as one of her “two liberal friends” — were thrilled to see people filling the seats for Sanders (I-Vermont) and Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) in a state Donald Trump won by more than 30 percentage points. Olvera, cradling her infant in protective earmuffs, said she was ready “to hear a plan so we can fight this craziness.”
Since Sanders launched his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in March, his crowds have been building.
That desire for connection — and the sense that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are creating it — came up in dozens of interviews this past week as the independent senator and Democratic congresswoman made their way across the West, from a rally of an estimated 36,000 people in Los Angeles to unexpectedly large gatherings in the redder terrain of Utah, Idaho and Montana.
Target CEO Cornell meets with Sharpton to discuss DEI rollback as civil rights leader considers boycott
- Target CEO Brian Cornell met with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the company’s decision to roll back DEI programs.
- The discussion comes as the big box retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slump in foot traffic that began soon after it announced plans to walk away from some DEI initiatives.
- Sharpton has not called for a boycott of Target, but said he’ll consider it if the company doesn’t reaffirm its commitment to Black businesses, employees and consumers.
even this asshole agrees with us on sending people to concentration camps
What does the first-quarter fundraising data tell us? Quite a lot!
It'll be a while before most House races come online, but a number of candidates have already launched aggressive early challenges to potentially vulnerable incumbents. In competitive races, though, Democrats are off to a far better start.
Thirteen Democrats in 10 different Republican-held districts that are likely to be contested in 2026 raised six figures in the first quarter, with nine bringing in more than $300,000.
At the top of the list was dairy farmer Blake Gendebien, who hauled in a giant $3 million for a special election that never happened after Donald Trump withdrew Elise Stefanik's nomination as UN ambassador. Gendebien says he'll still run for New York's conservative 21st District next year, and he starts off well-positioned, with $2 million in his account. (Stefanik doesn't seem inclined to seek reelection, though she has $8.5 million saved up in case she does.)
These include hopefuls like Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza, who brought in $810,000 for her campaign against GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's swingy 6th District, finishing with $730,000. Ciscomani, meanwhile, raised $1.2 million and had the same amount on hand.
By contrast, just two Republicans seeking to flip Democratic seats broke into six-figure territory. The best showing came from San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who raised $420,000 for his bid to defeat Democratic Rep. Mike Levin in California's blue-tilting 49th District and ended with $390,000 banked. During the same timeframe, Levin took in $670,000 and had a comparable sum left over.
The Legal System Continues to Hold Up
Supreme Court, for Now, Blocks Deportations of Venezuelan Migrants
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration early Saturday from deporting another group of Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members under the expansive powers of a rarely invoked wartime law.
“The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court,” the court said in a brief, unsigned order that gave no reasoning, as is typical in emergency cases.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented. A group of migrants had been scheduled to be flown out of the country, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Judges Standing Up to Trump
The pressing question is how forcefully judges will respond—and whether the Supreme Court will back them up. Developments this week bode well, at least when it comes to the first part of that challenge.
On Tuesday, the U.S. district judge Paula Xinis, of Maryland, hearing the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia—the Salvadoran man illegally deported to and imprisoned in El Salvador—raised the prospect of contempt proceedings against the government.
Gratifyingly, she was backed up by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which issued a swift and stark rebuke of the Administration on Thursday, in turning down its request to block Xinis’s order. The Administration’s position “should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, a Ronald Reagan appointee, wrote.
The U.S. district judge James Boasberg, in the District of Columbia, is several weeks further along in dealing with the Administration’s obstructionism. He is not backing down, either. On Wednesday, Boasberg issued a scorcher of a ruling: forty-six pages detailing the government’s frenzied efforts to ship hundreds of Venezuelan men to El Salvador without due process, and its blatant violation of Boasberg’s efforts to prevent those deportations. The underlying case is out of Boasberg’s hands, as the Supreme Court said it had been brought in the wrong jurisdiction. But the judge insists that the Court’s dismissal isn’t the end of the matter, for a simple reason: “The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders—especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it.”
The stakes here for the rule of law couldn’t be higher, but the right approach for courts should be familiar to anyone who has raised a toddler. Every parent eventually learns the importance of clear rules and logical consequences. In dealing with this Administration, the Justices should, too.
Some promising news for North Carolina Justice Allison Riggs
In a court filing Tuesday evening, North Carolina election officials put the number of ballots at risk of being thrown out in the state’s Supreme Court race at a significantly lower mark than the 5,000-plus previously thought to be at issue.
The new numbers appear to put Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat, in a much stronger position against Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican seeking to overturn Riggs’ narrow victory in November — though there could be more legal twists and turns yet to come in the case.
The board said 1,409 ballots from military and overseas voters from a single county — Guilford County — are subject to challenge. Challenges in other counties were invalid, the board said, because Griffin submitted the additional challenges after the state deadline. The board also identified 266 registered overseas voters who allegedly never lived in North Carolina — a separate category of voters who risk disenfranchisement from the state Supreme Court’s ruling.
On Monday, Riggs held a rally in Raleigh where she made a vow to supporters to “fight as long as it takes” to ensure that every vote cast in the November election is counted. The board’s latest filing appears to significantly narrow the number of voters who could be disenfranchised, boosting her chances of prevailing.
North Carolina must restore wrongly invalidated ballots, election board rules
On Monday, Popular Information reported that at least 29 people had their ballots in the 2024 general election wrongly discarded by the North Carolina Supreme Court. The state's highest court ruled that about 260 ballots must be tossed because they were cast by people who were "never residents" of the state. But Popular Information, in collaboration with Anderson Alerts, uncovered evidence that at least 29 people have lived in North Carolina.
The ballots — and thousands of others — were challenged by Jefferson Griffin, a Republican candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court who lost by 734 votes to Democrat Allison Riggs.
On Tuesday evening, the North Carolina Board of Elections filed a notice in federal court, citing Popular Information's reporting, stating that the votes of people who were wrongly identified would be restored. The election board said it would undertake steps to "ensure each of the voters challenged are accurately identified" as a result of reports from Popular Information and others:
Justice Department must provide details of attempts to return illegally deported man, judge says
A federal judge on Tuesday said she will require the Trump administration to produce records and sworn answers about the U.S. government’s attempts, or lack thereof, to return a Maryland resident who was apprehended by immigration authorities and illegally sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The decision from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, where she left open the possibility of a contempt ruling against the Trump administration, marks another escalation in the legal showdown with the White House.
Federal judge in Baltimore temporarily limits DOGE access to Social Security data
A federal judge on Thursday imposed new restrictions on billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, limiting its access to Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a preliminary injunction in the case, which was brought by a group of labor unions and retirees who allege DOGE’s recent actions violate privacy laws and present massive information security risks. Hollander had previously issued a temporary restraining order.
Bad Stories that Turned Good (and no one noticed)
I’ve started this new feature the last few weeks of highlighting stories that included (a) something bad happening (b) all of us freaking out worrying © our voices leading the bad thing to be undone and (d) no one noticing step C. So here is step C for one story from this week:
Top Hegseth Aide Resigns After Jackie Robinson Controversy
John Ullyot, a top Pentagon spokesperson for the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, has resigned after a wave of controversies.
One of the most zealous supporters of the Trump administration’s purge of DEI-related content from government websites, Ullyot was demoted after the purge of a webpage about legendary baseball star Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball.
Ullyot’s dedication to the anti-DEI mission landed him in hot water after a purge of a web page about Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947 following service in the U.S. Army, provoked a furious outcry.
Did you follow all the freaking out about how trump was about to invoke the insurrection act at the southern border? And all kinds of people confusing that with martial law (even though it isn’t the same thing)? And people generally losing their minds about this (see steps a and b above).? Well step C happened too. And got way less press. here it is:
Hegseth and Noem Decide on Insurrection Act Guidance for Trump
Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are not planning to recommend that President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act to address conditions at the southern border, multiple U.S. officials told CNN.
Trump Cabinet officials won't recommend invoking Insurrection Act at southern border
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will not recommend invoking the Insurrection Act in a memo that the Pentagon and DHS are preparing to send to President Donald Trump about the conditions at the southern border, multiple US officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.
The Insurrection Act is a 19th century law that would allow the president to use active-duty troops within the United States to perform law enforcement functions such as arresting migrants. Trump issued an executive order in January declaring an emergency at the southern border that ordered Hegseth and Noem to send him a report within 90 days about the conditions there, and whether to invoke the Insurrection Act to help obtain “complete operational control” of the border.
The deadline for Hegseth and Noem’s recommendation is Sunday, but the Pentagon and DHS are expected to send the memo with their findings to the White House next week, officials said.
Hegseth and Noem are expected to tell Trump that border crossings are currently low and that they don’t need additional authorities at this point to help control the flow of migrants, officials said. Migrant crossings at the US southern border have been under 300 a day, according to a Homeland Security official — a dramatic drop from recent years when unlawful crossings were well over 1,000 or more a day.
also, trump is realizing he is LOSING with Harvard and has blamed someone else for the horrifying letter that stressed everyone out. Of course he did!
Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard
The April 11 letter from the White House’s task force on antisemitism, this official told Harvard, should not have been sent and was “unauthorized,” two people familiar with the matter said.
After Harvard publicly repudiated the demands, the Trump administration raised the pressure, freezing billions in federal funding to the school and warning that its tax-exempt status was in jeopardy.
A senior White House official said the administration stood by the letter, calling the university’s decision to publicly rebuff the administration overblown and blaming Harvard for not continuing discussions.
Harvard pushed back on the White House’s claim that it should have checked with the administration lawyers after receiving the letter.
The letter “was signed by three federal officials, placed on official letterhead, was sent from the email inbox of a senior federal official and was sent on April 11 as promised,” Harvard said in a statement on Friday. “Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government — even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach — do not question its authenticity or seriousness.”
Good News for the world
Our gross government is turning people away from right wing assholeness all over the world. Here are two examples.
Schadenfreude
One day I’ll be the kind of person who doesn’t enjoy schadenfreude. But not this week. ;-)
'I'm in ruins' | MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he can't pay thousands in court-ordered sanctions in election defamation case
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told a federal judge Wednesday he has no money to pay thousands of dollars in sanctions imposed in one of the long-running lawsuits against him over his false election fraud claims.
During a court hearing, Lindell said he and his company face a combined $70 million in debt and ongoing garnishment by the IRS.
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! “JD is the couch in this scenario” (funny person on internet)
Trump Killed Musk’s Secret Pentagon Briefing: ‘What the F*** Is Elon Doing There?’
President Donald Trump blocked his righthand man Elon Musk from attending a top-secret Pentagon briefing about China.
The Tesla CEO was due to attend the meeting about military plans in the event of a war with China on March 21, according to Axios, but Trump stepped in when details of the briefing leaked to the media.
“What the f--- is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn’t go,” Trump said, according to a top official who spoke to Axios.
Words of Inspiration
From Amanda’s Mild Takes
The Democrats have a new party chair and he is great. he hit the ground running with a 50 state strategy. He’s made changes to the kinds of donations the party will accept. The house minority leader came out in support of legislation that would prohibit members of Congress from trading stocks. So I think the DNC is really starting to hear that we want a message that Republicans are for wall Street and Democrats are for working families. I am really optimistic about 2028. You know, in three years those primaries are going to be lit. The GOP have spent 10 years with its nose up Donald Trump’s rear. So it’ll be 14 of our best and brightest against JD Vance, who is the most charmless putz I’ve ever seen.
From Liam Kerr
As Jonathan Chait put it, “the good news is that it's harder to build an authoritarian system when the authoritarian leader is totally bonkers.”
And MAGA incompetence does not just apply to governing. Having undisciplined leaders directing low-grade middle managers also matters for winning elections.
Which brings us to the biggest news:
We still have elections! And Republicans are faring very poorly in them.
Everyone is focused on the stock market these days, but there’s another scoreboard: the betting markets.
Democratic odds of winning the Senate jumped from 17% to 24% when I drafted this on Friday ... and went past 28% this morning.
Odds of winning the House jumped from 67% to 80%.
from David Brooks
In his book “Upheaval,” Jared Diamond looked at countries that endured crises and recovered. He points out that the nations that recover don’t catastrophize — they don’t say everything is screwed up and we need to burn it all down. They take a careful inventory of what is working well and what is working poorly. Leaders assume responsibility for their own share of society’s problems.
Trump picked the wrong fight with universities this week, too. He went after Harvard, with its $53 billion endowment, threatening to cut off $2 billion in federal research funding unless it acceded to the White House’s numerous overreaching demands. Like China, Harvard decided that surrender was not an option. Yesterday, it gave Trump the middle finger, to the cheers of other universities who now see that fighting back is not only possible but necessary.
We’re at the point in the movie when George McFly, after getting knocked around for coming to the rescue of his future wife, has finally gathered enough courage to ball up his fist and punch Biff Tannen in the face, laying him flat.
Trump really doesn’t like it when his victims punch back because he knows how it usually goes for bullies, both in real life and the movies. So he’s trying to destroy any victories before they can take effect.
By going scorched earth, Trump is hoping to crush the spirit of the opposition. After all, what good is it to resist the federal government under Trump if he just finds another way to come after anyone for anything he wants?
This reaction is understandable, but it mistakes the true purpose of resistance to fascism. We don’t resist because we think we will win every fight. We resist because it is the right thing to do. The way to defeat a common thug or bully in the White House is to stand up to him at every turn. He cannot win if all of us are determined to fight.
Perhaps even more importantly, courage is contagious; clear-eyed, determined opposition is what can and will defeat Trumpism.
The late Buddhist master Thíct Nhất Hạnh wrote of the importance of steady leadership and moral clarity in life-threatening circumstances:
"In Vietnam, there are many people, called boat people, who leave the country in small boats. Often the boats are caught in rough seas or storms, the people may panic, and boats can sink. But if even one person aboard can remain calm, lucid, knowing what to do and what not to do, he or she can help the boat survive. His or her expression — face, voice — communicates clarity and calmness, and people have trust in that person. They will listen to what he or she says. One such person can save the lives of many."
Though it has taken some time, and our national vessel seemed all but ready to capsize, we now have many strong examples of what it looks like to stand up to Trumpism. We’ve seen how he often folds his hand when we do. So it is now up to everyone else onboard who, despite fearing for their lives and livelihoods, must now trust in this message, remain calm and collected, and help right our ship.
What can you do to save democracy?
You can sign up for Chop wood, carry water. She’ll send you emails a few times a week that are inspirational, honest, and give you super easy action items so you can be involved without letting it ruin your life.
Go here → chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com
Consider joining some peaceful protests! They are making a big difference!
Here are some ideas.
-
If you can, I strongly recommend going to an in person meeting in your area. One way to find a local group is through indivisible: indivisibleproject.formstack.com/…
- Join the truth brigade! Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by opened mind
-
Election Response Center is a project hosted by Working Families Party, MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen. They are organizing lots of events to get people fighting. Join one at this link
-
The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
-
Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with the States Project They are working on turning state legislatures blue
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. Get involved with them here
- Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute and advocacy organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Get involved with them here
Also, continue to find joy in your life! Don’t let that fuckface live rent free in your mind! This is your life!!!!!
Looking for something more specific?
Want to focus on the ENVIRONMENT:
Want to focus on CIVIL RIGHTS:
HUMAN RIGHTS - GENERALLY:
LGBTQ+:
WOMEN:
Huge thanks to DKos user dabug for help with this list.
Don’t let the options overwhelm you! Try to pick one thing and see if it calls to you. If it doesn’t find something else.
There are so many ways to get involved and help!
Some inspiration before I say goodbye
“Whatever happens, stay alive.
Don't die before you're dead.
Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't lose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life,
and that's life itself..."
.
At Albany Bulb with Elaine
By Alison Luterman
Side by side on a log by the bay.
Sunlight. Unleashed dogs,
prancing through surf, almost exploding
out of their skins with perfect happiness.
Dogs who don't know about fired park rangers,
or canceled health research, or tariff wars,
or the suicide hotline for veterans getting defunded,
or or or. We've listed horror upon horror
to each other for weeks now, and it does no good,
so instead I tell her how I held a two-day old baby
in my arms, inhaling him like a fresh-baked loaf of bread,
then watched as a sneeze erupted through his body
like a tiny volcano. It was the look of pure
astonishment on his face, as if he were Adam
in the garden of Eden making his debut achoo,
as if it were the first sneeze that ever blew,
that got me. She tells me how her dog
once farted so loudly he startled himself
and fell off the bed where he'd been lolling,
and then the two of us start to laugh so hard
we almost fall off our own log. And this
is our resistance for today; remembering
original innocence. And they can't
take it away from us, though they ban
our very existence, though they slash
our rights to ribbons, we will have
our mirth and our birthright gladness.
Long after every unsold Tesla
has vaporized, and earth has closed over
even the names of these temporary tyrants,
somewhere some women like us
will be sitting side by side, facing the water,
telling human stories and laughing still.
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
