Lefty Stacks

I made two errors in yesterday’s newsletter that I want to correct.

I correctly noted that the effect of Trump's 15% tariff agreement with the EU is to impose a tax on US consumers, because the retailer passes the increase in the cost of goods to the consumer. However, when discussing Trump's tariff agreements with the EU, my analysis assumed the president had the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on most US trading partners. That was a glaring omission.

In fact, the president has no authority to impose tariffs on US trading partners in retaliation for long-standing trade imbalances. So, every part of my discussion yesterday should have included the qualifier “illegal” in front of the word “tariffs.”

Every news story about the tariffs committed the same error. And therein lies the evil genius of Trump's continuous assault on the Constitution and the rule of law. The first time he imposed illegal tariffs in February 2025, everyone objected to the tariffs because Trump was intruding on Congress’s constitutional authority to impose tariffs.

Trump's authority to impose tariffs was challenged in court in two cases. Trump lost. Both cases are now on appeal. However, Trump continued to impose tariffs in disregard of the rulings, and the media and Congress have gradually stopped characterizing the tariffs as illegal. We cannot allow that slow erosion of the rule of law to stand.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution states, in part, that Congress has the power to “regulate commerce with foreign nations,” including the power to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” There is no similar grant of authority to the president.

Congress has delegated limited authority to adjust tariffs in narrow circumstances, none of which apply here. See Congressional Research Service, Congressional and Presidential Authority to Impose Import Tariffs.

When Trump first imposed his so-called “worldwide reciprocal tariffs,” US retailers challenged the tariffs in the US Court of International Trade (CIT) and the US District Court in the District of Columbia. (The CIT is a specialized US court that has jurisdiction over all international trade disputes.)

On May 29, 2025, the Court of International Trade ruled in V.O.S. Selections v US that Trump's tariffs could not be justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) because there was no “emergency” within the meaning of the IEEPA. The Court noted that the US has had trade imbalances with other nations for decades. The court ruled that long-standing trade imbalances do not constitute an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to US national security.

A second court ruled that even if there was an “emergency” under the IEEPA, the IEEPA does not grant the president the authority to impose tariffs in response to the emergency. See Learning Resources v. Trump. The IEEPA authorizes the president only to “investigate, regulate, or prohibit . . . transactions in foreign exchange”—a power that conspicuously fails to mention tariffs.

Both rulings are on appeal. (The hearing on the appeal from the CIT’s ruling in V.O.S. Selection is set for next week.)

In the face of two court rulings that Trump lacks constitutional or statutory authority to impose tariffs, Trump continues (through today) to impose tariffs that he knows to be illegal. And the media and Congress overlook the illegality of those tariffs (as I did in yesterday’s newsletter, a significant omission on my part).

Illegal conduct by the president does not become legal merely because the president persists in unlawful conduct. I know that it can be tiresome to repeat the same point in every story about Trump's illegal conduct. But that is his plan—to exhaust us and make us lose interest.

We must be better than that! I include myself in the caution to continue calling out the unlawfulness of Trump's actions even when it seems repetitive.

Coda: I made another error in yesterday’s newsletter. I said that exporters pay tariffs. That is incorrect. Importers pay tariffs. For example, when Walmart imports tennis shoes from Vietnam, Walmart pays a 20% tariff to the US government. So, when Trump says that he is going to “make Vietnam pay the tariffs,” he is telling a triple lie. Vietnam will not pay the tariff; Walmart will; but Walmart will recoup the tariff from consumers by raising prices. See NYTimes, Who Pays for U.S. Tariffs, and Where Does the Money Go? (Accessible to all.)

Per the NYTimes,

Tariffs are paid by the companies that import the goods. The revenue from U.S. tariffs is paid by U.S. importers to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Here’s an example: If Walmart imports a $100 pair of shoes from Vietnam — which faces a 20 percent tariff under the terms of a preliminary trade deal — Walmart will owe $20 in tariffs to the U.S. government.

Thanks to readers David Williams and Charles Feinstein for pointing out my error.

Harvard is moving toward capitulation.

My heart sank when I saw the NYTimes headline, Harvard Is Said to Be Open to Spending Up to $500 Million to Resolve Trump Dispute. (Accessible to all.)

Harvard filed a lawsuit to prevent Trump's unlawful withholding of funds previously appropriated by Congress or committed to Harvard by contract with the US government. In a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs made comments that suggested she would rule in Harvard’s favor, thereby potentially nullifying the Trump administration’s withholding of funds. See Harvard Magazine, Harvard, Government Present Arguments in Funding Case.

The government’s lawyer argued that the government could cancel the contracts with Harvard for any reason that does not “align with the administration’s priorities.” Judge Burroughs acknowledged that to be a true description of the contract, but noted that the government could not assert an unconstitutional reason for canceling the contracts.

Per Harvard Magazine,

“It seems to be your idea that you can terminate a contract even if the basis for the termination is a constitutional violation,” [Judge Burroughs] said. If the federal government can decide to withdraw funding of any contract over issues of speech, she added, the consequences “in terms of constitutional law are staggering.”

The NYTimes article seems to be written with heavy input from Harvard leadership, suggesting that settling is a practical solution to saving the $2 billion in withheld funds.

Harvard’s possible settlement is disheartening. Harvard University occupies a unique place in our nation’s history. It was founded 153 years before the United States of America adopted the Constitution in 1789. It has educated and shaped leaders in every field of American science, letters, and industry. It has produced 8 of 45 presidents and 22 of 116 Supreme Court justices. For Harvard to be standing on the precipice of capitulation is dismaying and dispiriting.

I hope that alumni, faculty, students, and supporters of Harvard University will express their views on a possible capitulation to Trump. Harvard has distinguished itself by refusing to follow in the footsteps of Columbia and the elite law firms who have forever tied their legacies to a felon, insurrectionist, adjudicated sexual abuser, destroyer of the Constitution, and best friend of the nation’s most notorious child sex trafficker.

Really, Harvard’s Board of Overseers? Is that what you will do with the incredible legacy that was entrusted to your care for temporary safekeeping for future generations of Americans?

The Epstein child sex trafficking scandal follows Trump to Scotland

Trump's taxpayer-funded golf trip to Scotland has hurt the president on many levels.

First, he was caught on video cheating at golf when his caddy surreptitiously dropped a ball in a favorable position after Trump hit his ball into the rough. The video is incontestable and validates the many stories about Trump cheating at golf. While this may seem like a small thing, golfers take the game very seriously. The integrity of the game depends on players acting honestly and honorably. Trump did neither on his inaugural round of golf at his new resort in Scotland. See The Independent, Rough deal: Social media roasts Trump’s golf game after clip appears to show alleged cheating in Scotland

Second, Trump was dogged by questions about Epstein after his hard day of cheating at golf. See CNN, A frustrated Trump gives more details on his relationship with Epstein, as the scandal follows him abroad. Trump's answers were bizarre and off-key. He said he never “had the privilege” of visiting Epstein’s private island, where Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually exploited girls. Trump also said that he broke off his relationship with Epstein because he “hired people away” from Mar-a-Lago.

The CNN article above details many of Trump's bizarre answers, including his doubling down on the claim that the Epstein files were fabricated by Presidents Obama and Biden. Trump's performance was so unstable that it prompted this op-ed in Newsweek by Rex Hupke, Trump's mental decline is on vivid display as he rages about Epstein, windmills | Opinion.

As Hupke notes, the legacy media minimizes Trump's mental decline by chopping up his nonsense answers into small soundbites that make him seem lucid. Hupke includes several of Trump's answers at press conferences in Scotland. Trump's mind cannot stay focused on what he is saying from the time he begins a sentence until he ends it. Read Hupke’s op-ed for a deep dive into Trump's disordered mind.

An aspect of the Epstein child sex trafficking scandal that is being under-reported is the egregious conflicts of interest that Todd Blanche and Pam Bondi bring to the Epstein matter. See Philip Rotner, The Bulwark, Why the Huge Conflicts of Interest Among Trump’s Epstein Team Matter.

Per Rotner,

This charade not only stinks to high hell, it is also wildly unethical and would undoubtedly taint any prosecutorial decisions—including decisions not to prosecute—in ways that would do serious harm to the public’s faith in the criminal justice system.

Bondi was one of the lawyers who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial. Blanche is much more deeply embedded in the Trump legal defense team. He represented Trump in the classified documents case in Florida, the election interference case in Washington, D.C., and, perhaps most importantly, in the New York criminal trial in which Trump was convicted on thirty-four counts of falsifying business records relating to hush-money payments he made to cover up his alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump, of course, is not only a former client, but also Bondi’s current boss. Blanche’s too.

If Trump pardons Ghislaine Maxwell, he will do so based on the advice of lawyers who should have recused themselves from the matter. One day, when Trump is no longer president and Bondi and Blanche cannot count on his protection, their law licenses will be at risk. We must hold onto that faint ray of hope in the face of the perversion of justice in a way that would have made the Framers of the Constitution recoil in horror and disgust.

Concluding Thoughts

My heart goes out to the people of New York as well as the victims of the Monday shooting in midtown Manhattan. There are 1.6 million people on the small island of Manhattan. Most of them know the building that was the subject of the attack. A surprisingly large number of them have been inside the building. (I have.) We need to find a way to remove weapons of war from circulation in America. We did it before; we can do it again.

I received a note from a reader about two rallies in Wausau, Wisconsin. Three Indivisible groups (Chippewa, Northern Lights, and North Central Wisconsin) were protesting outside the Wausau District Office of Congressman Tom Tiffany. As can be seen in the photo below, the group was standing on a grass strip along a public street. While the groups were engaged in the Make Good Trouble protests on July 14, the sprinklers suddenly turned on, soaking the rally-goers.

See Letter to the Editor, CAP Times, Letter | Tiffany should be investigated in sprinkler incident (7/24/2025). (As the letter notes, there is no “proof” that Tom Tiffany and his staff were behind the coincidental dousing of the protesters on two occasions.)

Undaunted, the protesters returned the next week. I will let reader Cynthia G. pick up the story:

After the sprinklers were deployed against constituents outside the Wausau office of Representative Tom Tiffany last week, 60+ rally goers came prepared this week with beach wear, goggles, snorkels, and beach music!

When the sprinklers were again activated to drive protesters away, constituents from Tiffany-represented three counties (Marathon, Chippewa, Rusk) were ready this time.

They immediately peeled off their outer layer of clothing to reveal beachwear. They donned swimming goggles. And, they flipped over their signs about Tiffany's vote in favor of the "Big Ugly Bill" to reveal messages like "You Can't Drown Our Democracy" and "You Can't Wash Away Our Rights."

Everyone involved in the creative protest deserves high marks for enthusiasm, creativity, messaging, and esprit de corps! We are living through difficult times. Maintaining a sense of humor and community are vital to our ability to abide for the long term. Good work, all!

Daily Dose of Perspective

The Iris Nebula is a “reflection” nebula that is back-lit by central stars. it is 1,300 light years from Earth. Enjoy!

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From Today's Edition Newsletter via this RSS feed

Hi, all!

Thanks for tuning in to my live video tonight with Anne Shoup, Senior Adviser for Strategic Planning and Projects at ! We did a deep dive on all things Medicaid — what it does, why it matters, and how we can help bolster it. I hope everyone found it helpful.

Learn more about Protect Our Care and find out how to get involved here.

Talk tomorrow!

Chop Wood, Carry Water is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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From Chop Wood, Carry Water via this RSS feed

Hi, all, and happy Monday.

Hope you were able to get some rest this weekend. Some of you, I know, went to Families First events, or did overpass protests, or attended a Tesla Takedown, and I thank you for it. But I hope you, too, got to put your feet up at some point. This is exhausting work. Be careful not to burn yourselves out!

Having said that, your protests have never been so important.

It’s funny to be out of the country. One feels distanced, a bit, from the awfulness, but also constantly aware of it. When you tell people here where you’re from their first words tend to be “I’m sorry.” It’s sort of heartbreaking. There is a prevailing astonishment at what is happening in our country, and an overwhelming disgust that Trump is somehow still in power. I try to reassure the people I speak to that millions of us are fighting him with all we have, but it’s not as easy to convince them of it as I’d like, since the corporate media routinely refuses to cover our protests.

Still, there is one thing upon which everyone agrees: Trump is a catastrophe for the United States and the world. He is despised—at least in the part of Canada I’m in— in a way I can’t fully express. People do seem to understand that not all Americans are with him, but I encourage us all to keep the protests big and visible. There are still some, like the woman to whom I spoke at a local farmers’ market a few days ago, who believe that “Americans seem to all be with him.” Ugh. No, we are not.

When we ask ourselves, then, whether or not it is “worth it” to keep protesting, to keep showing up at Tesla Takedowns, to keep creating more freeway signage, to keep thinking of out-of-the-box ways to display our fury, the answer is a resounding YES. Not only for yourself, and for your fellow Americans, but for the world at large.

After all, WE know we’re fighting tooth and nail. They should know it, too.

On that note, let’s get to work!

Call Your Senators (find yours here or use this list to find staffer contact info) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I’m calling to demand that the Senator vote no on Emil Bove. His confirmation would be a catastrophe. We’ve never seen such an unfit and dangerous nominee. Will the Senator oppose?

Second, I want the Senator to support an investigation into the potential corruption occurring between Trump and media companies, specifically the Paramount merger deal. Trump’s legal threats against news sources not only threaten freedom of the press, but also pave the way for open bribery. It’s got to stop. Thanks. [H/T]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here or use this list to find staffer contact info) 📲 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I want the Congressmember to support an investigation into the potential corruption occurring between Trump and media companies, specifically the Paramount merger deal. Trump’s legal threats against news sources not only threaten freedom of the press, but also pave the way for open bribery. [H/T]

Second, when is the Congressmember holding their Town Hall this recess? There are many things we voters want to talk about.

[If the staffer says none are planned add:] That’s unacceptable. Our President is protecting pedophiles, prices are skyrocketing, our basic Constitutional rights are under assault, the federal government is being dismantled, and ICE is terrorizing our communities—s/he needs to schedule a Town Hall now. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Sign a Letter of Support for Efraín Pérez

Efraín Pérez is a father, worker, and longtime Angeleno who has lived in the U.S. since 1994. He was detained by ICE in June after finishing a job in Glendale. My friend David Giron is collecting signatures and letters of support urging Efrain’s release and return to his family. Letters will be printed and mailed using a traditional mail merge.

Please complete the form here to add your name. You may also include an optional personal paragraph that will be added to your letter.

Get Smart! 📚

People’s Action and a bunch of amazing partners will be holding a livestream to unpack the devastating budget passed by MAGA Republicans. They’ll also be talking about how to fight back.

This livestream is a chance to hear directly from movement leaders, impacted people, union organizers, and elected officials about what’s in the bill, why it passed, and what we must do next to fight forward.

Join them on July 30 at 8PM ET to make meaning, build power, and prepare for action this August and beyond.

RSVP + more info here.

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

This terrific new video from the National Immigration Law Center, “We Get There Together,” underscores how powerful interests like politicians, corporations, and private prison companies have kept immigration laws intentionally dysfunctional to divide working people and maintain control. From the 1990s to today, it traces how policy decisions have harmed millions of immigrants while letting the real culprits off the hook.

The video is available in English and in Spanish, and also sharable via Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky andYouTube. Let’s get it out there!

Give 💰!

Chef Jose Andres has a beautiful and compelling Op-Ed in the New York Times today about the famine in Gaza. Here is an archived link so all can access it.

After reading it, please consider donating to World Central Kitchen if you can. They know how to get people fed. Not just in Gaza, but in Israel, in Texas, and everywhere else the need exists. This should be something we can all get behind.

Practivist Pod!

Ack! I forgot to post our latest Practivist episode last week so I’m doing it now.

In the latest Practivist Pod episode, we talk about the Epstein scandal that just shut down the House of Representatives, Stephen Colbert’s insane cancellation, and what we want you to do on Congress’s extra-long recess! And then Steve has a great convo with one of the leading youth engagement leaders in the country, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, Santiago Mayer.

Watch here!

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

Trump has nominated two new Republicans to FERC, and they’re BAD. We need the Senate to refuse to confirm them. Read more and send a letter to your Senator about these nominees here.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: your Senators] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PNMEZJ to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

Emil Bove's nomination as a federal appeals court judge should be rejected due to his disturbing track record of unethical conduct and blatant disregard for the rule of law. As acting deputy attorney general, Bove weaponized the Department of Justice for political retaliation, ordering the firing of Jan. 6 prosecutors and threatening to purge the FBI when they challenged the Trump administration's unlawful agenda.

Even more egregiously, the New York Times reported that Bove directed DOJ officials to "ignore" court orders interfering with the administration's policy of deporting immigrants to foreign prisons - a flagrant violation of judicial authority. Bove's complicity in defying court rulings and enabling the Trump administration's unconstitutional overreach demonstrates his unfitness to serve on the federal bench.

Over 900 former DOJ lawyers have penned a letter opposing Bove's confirmation precisely because his actions contradict the integrity expected of federal judges. Granting Bove a lifetime appointment would only further erode public trust in an independent judiciary upholding equality under the law. The Senate must uphold its constitutional duty as a co-equal branch of government and block this unacceptable nomination. Confirming an individual so overtly disdainful of judicial oversight would be an endorsement of authoritarianism over democratic values.

Bove's conduct has clearly shown he lacks the impartiality and commitment to justice required of federal judges. I urge you to vote against his confirmation when it comes before the full Senate on July 28th.

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

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From Chop Wood, Carry Water via this RSS feed

Friends,

Columbia University. The European Union. Japan. All have just concluded deals with Trump, and all are claiming they did well — or as well as they could.

Rubbish. When will they learn? It’s impossible to deal with a tyrant because a tyrant won’t ever be satisfied. Giving in to Trump — and that’s what Columbia University, the EU, and Japan have just done — only encourages him to demand more.

Trump does not keep deals. He backs out of them whenever he thinks he can strike a better one.

That’s what he did when he imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada in violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he engineered, which itself violated the North American Free Trade Agreement.

That’s what he has done and will continue to do with Columbia University and any other university he deals with. As Suresh Naidu, a professor of economics and international public affairs at Columbia pointed out over the weekend:

“whatever onerous terms the school has agreed to will be deemed to have been broken in the face of a campus protest, an edgy syllabus, a leaked classroom discussion or even an acerbic student opinion piece. New civil rights violations will be imagined, new vistas of anti-Americanism on campus will be discovered, and the attacks will continue.”

Trump is lawless. His Justice Department is lawless. A president and his lackeys who are unchecked by law will not be bound by any agreement or contract when they think they can get a better deal by breaking it.

It doesn’t matter whether the deal is with foreign nations, domestic universities, law firms, media corporations, or any other entity that believes it has an agreement with Trump. It doesn’t.

Trump has shown repeatedly through his career, and in his first and second presidencies, that he doesn’t consider himself bound by any agreement, ever. He has stiffed contractors, creditors, and business associates. He has fired his own cabinet officers and presidential assistants who crossed him, even after singing their praises. He has no honor, no duty, no sense of responsibility to anyone but himself.

The only way universities, nations, law firms, media corporations, or any other entities he threatens can protect themselves from him is to join together with other universities, nations, law firms, and media corporations, respectfully — and present a united front, so they have more bargaining leverage with him together than they do separately.

No organization, no person, no country should ever assume that they’ve made a binding deal with Trump. The art of the deal with Trump is to gain as much bargaining power as possible by uniting with others and standing up to his bullying.

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From Robert Reich via this RSS feed

Photo: John Lamparski/AFP/Getty Images

A lone gunman carrying an assault-style rifle opened fire at an office building in midtown Manhattan on Monday evening, according to police. The building, 345 Park Avenue, contains offices belonging to the National Football League, Blackstone, KPMG, and Bristol Myers Squibb, among others. At least three people were injured and the suspected gunman is reportedly dead. Below are the latest developments.

This breaking news post has been updated.

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From Intelligencer - Daily News, Politics, Business, and Tech via this RSS feed

From Aphex Twin Latest Topics via this RSS feed

On July 23 the X account of the Department of Homeland Security posted an image of an 1872 oil painting by John Gast, titled American Progress. Gast represented the American East on the right side of the painting with light skies, a rising sun, and the bustling port of New York City, full of ships. He painted the American West in darkness, through which bison and Indigenous Americans flee the people in the middle of the painting: white hunters, farmers, settlers, and stagecoach riders. Over the scene floats a giant, blonde Lady Liberty, evidently moving west, carrying a schoolbook and a telegraph wire being laced on poles along a train track behind her.

Over the reproduced image, the Department of Homeland Security account wrote: “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.”

From the time Gast painted it, American Progress has been interpreted as a representation of the concept of manifest destiny: the mid-nineteenth-century notion that God had destined the people of the United States of America to spread democracy to the rest of at least the North American continent, and possibly South America as well. A number of people who saw the Homeland Security post saw it as the Trump administration’s embrace of that ideology.

Magazine editor John O’Sullivan coined the term “manifest destiny” in the July 1845 issue of Democratic Review, a magazine dedicated to defining what it meant to live in a democratic republic. O’Sullivan’s concept of manifest destiny was different from the constant expansionism of Euro-Americans before his time, in part because he was defending a specific partisan policy: Congress’s annexation of Texas in March 1845 and the apparent determination of Democratic president James K. Polk to seize more territory from Mexico. The Democrats’ political opponents, the Whigs, opposed the land grab, and Democrats justified their position on the grounds that they were simply honoring God’s plan.

The spread of democracy—and, with it, American greatness—was both the right and the duty of Americans, they claimed, overriding the despotisms of monarchs. Along with that democratic system would travel an economic system that developed resources for private owners, the Protestant religion, and a cultural system that privileged white people. Such a system was best for everyone, even those people whose land, lives, and culture would be absorbed by the movement. Democrats constructed a strong sense of U.S. nationalism around this idea and its corollary: the extension of human enslavement.

Manifest destiny both reflected and fed the era’s greed and racism. But there was a key political element in it that adherents to today’s right-wing political movement appear to reject. At the heart of manifest destiny, beneath the language of “civilizing” other peoples and the embrace of human enslavement, was the concept that the lands the U.S. acquired would become states equal to the older states in the Union and that the people in the lands the U.S. absorbed would eventually become Americans equal to those who had been in the United States for a generation or more.

“New territory is spread out for us to subdue and fertilize,” Daniel S. Dickinson of New York told the Senate; “new races are presented for us to civilize, educate and absorb; new triumphs for us to achieve for the cause of freedom.”

In the 1840s—indeed until the last few years—Americans accepted that the United States was based on an idea. Even in that era of crabbed racism that excluded Black Americans and women and circumscribed others, lawmakers embraced the idea that the U.S. could expand to include new people. In the immigration boom of the 1840s and 1850s, that was no small thing.

Rather than advancing the concept of manifest destiny—as deeply problematic as that would be—the Trump administration’s reposting of American Progress seems designed instead to harness American traditional symbols in order to advance the idea of “blood and soil” citizenship popularized in 1930s Germany.

“Blood and soil” ideology claimed true Germans were defined by race within a specific land. Nazi propagandist Richard Walther Darré reflected those ideas when he celebrated agricultural life and what he claimed were rural values. Elevating those who had lived in Germany for generations, he suggested that German blood was mystically connected to German soil. “[T]he German soul with its warmth is rooted in its agriculture and in a real sense always grew out of it,” Darré wrote. To maintain that soul, he wrote, Germany needed to preserve racial purity and reject foreign blood. To that end, it needed to protect pure marriages and encourage the right people to have lots of children: the main job of a wife was to produce children. Unless the country took drastic measures, he wrote, the German “race” might become extinct.

The details of the “blood and soil” ideology might not be clear to MAGA today, but its adherents definitely get the concept: at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, white nationalists shouted, “Blood and soil.”

Those ideas are now advanced by MAGA leadership. On July 5, 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance told an audience at the Claremont Institute he rejected the idea that being an American simply meant agreeing with the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence. He complained not only that such a definition would include too many people, but also that it would exclude those who disagreed with it, even if their ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. “I think the people whose ancestors fought in the Civil War have a hell of a lot more claim over America than the people who say they don’t belong,” he said.

He continued: “I believe one of the most pressing problems for us to face as statesmen is to redefine the meaning of American citizenship in the 21st century.” America, he said, “is not just an idea, we’re a particular place with a particular people and a particular set of beliefs and way of life.”

Vance claimed that “Democrat politicians” and “corporate oligarchs” want to import “millions and millions of low-wage serfs,” and he hailed Trump’s immigration policies as “the most important part” of Trump’s first six months. He said “citizenship must mean recognizing the unique relationship, but also the obligations that we all share with our fellow Americans. You cannot swap 10 million people from anywhere else in the world and expect for America to remain unchanged…. “[T]his is a distinctive moment in time with a distinctive place and a distinctive people.”

Attacking “the left” as driven by hatred, Vance rejected the statement of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor: “America is beautiful, contradictory, unfinished. I am proud of our country even as we constantly strive to make it better.” Vance said Mamdani’s statement shows “no gratitude” and “no sense of owing something to this land.” “I wonder,” Vance said, “has he ever read the letters from boy soldiers in the Union Army to parents and sweethearts that they’d never see again?... Who the hell does he think that he is?”

The use of American iconography to push blood and soil showed in another post by the Homeland Security account from earlier this month. On July 14 it posted a painting of a white man with a white woman holding a baby in a covered wagon, an image the artist, Morgan Weistling, titled A Prayer for a New Life. The HHS account posted the image without Weistling’s permission, retitling it “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage: New Life in a New Land.”

The new name and capitalization are significant. Just as in the words in the post about John Gast’s painting, the two Hs are capitalized, evoking “HH,” accepted in right-wing circles as a way to write “Heil Hitler.”

On his web page, Weistling posted: “Attention: The recent DHS post on social media using a painting of mine that I painted a few years ago was used without my permission.”

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Notes:

https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/manifest-destiny/john-osullivan-declares-americas-manifest-destiny-1845/

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/department-homeland-security-painting-american-progress-gast-rcna221128

Frederick Merk and Lois Bannister Merk, Manifest Destiny and Mission in American History (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963), p. 29, at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015043804908&seq=2

https://meidasnews.com/news/exclusive-artist-slams-dhs-for-using-painting-without-p ermission

Clifford R. Lovin, “Blut Und Boden: The Ideological Basis of the Nazi Agricultural Program,” Journal of the History of Ideas 28 (1967): 279–288.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally

https://www.morganweistling.com/

https://singjupost.com/transcript-jd-vances-speech-at-the-claremont-institutes-statesmanship-award-event/

X:

dhsgov/status/1948150126494482555

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From Letters from an American via this RSS feed

On Sunday, the headline that major media should have used was, “Trump announces new 15% sales tax on US consumers.” Trump imposed that new national sales tax by announcing a 15% tariff on goods imported into the US from the EU.

Instead of highlighting the truth of Trump's actions, major media were proclaiming that Trump had reached a “preliminary agreement” with the EU. See, e.g., NYTimes, U.S. Reaches Preliminary Trade Deal With Europe.

Like all of Trump's alleged tariff “trade deals, this one is more like “concepts of a plan” than an actual agreement. In the NYTimes headline, “preliminary” means “not yet in writing or agreed to in final form.” As anyone with a passing knowledge of the law knows, when you haven’t reached an agreement, that is known as “not having an agreement.”

True, the President of the EU executive body, Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed that the EU had agreed to a 15% tariff on its goods imported into the US. But beyond that major premise, the details matter—a lot. And many of those have yet to be determined.

See, e.g, statement by Ursula von der Leyen, which is filled with soft qualifiers that glide over the absence of details:

Today, we have also agreed on zero-for-zero tariffs on a number of strategic products. . . . [a]nd we will keep working to add more products to this list.

On steel and aluminium . . . . [w]e will work together to ensure fair global competition. And to reduce barriers between us, tariffs will be cut. And a quota system will be put in place.

Clear as mud! But it sounds so much fancier when Ursula von der Leyen says it than when Trump describes the proposed tariffs as “Tariffs like nobody has ever seen. People talk about tariffs. Nobody knew about tariffs until I invented the word.”1

Still, to the extent that Trump and the EU agreed to a 15% tariff on EU goods imported into the US, the real story is that the tariffs will not be paid “by the EU.” Tariffs are paid by the manufacturer who exports goods into the country imposing the tariff. It is an inescapable rule of economics that manufacturers include the cost of making, shipping, and selling products in the price charged to the ultimate consumer.

Tariffs are part of the “cost of goods sold,” and an item that the manufacturer recoups in the final sales price. No need to believe me. Just ask Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, who told Business Insider that “tariffs are a tax on imports, and businesses usually pass on their increased costs by charging higher prices to consumers.”

So, the real story on Sunday evening is that Trump's promise to “lower prices on the first day” of his administration has morphed into a plan to impose a new sales tax on items imported from other countries because the US doesn’t manufacture enough of those items at competitive prices.

A reader sent a note over the weekend saying that she is making it her daily objective to educate people about how Trump's tariffs are increasing prices. Reader Lisanne D. sent this article from CNBC, Trump tariffs affect Walmart prices. The article explains that

CNBC tracked prices of about 50 products across merchandise categories including apparel, electronics, toys and groceries over seven weeks at Walmart’s Secaucus, New Jersey, location.

The chart below summarizes the findings of CNBC’s price tracking:

CNBC, Trump tariffs affect Walmart prices

As CNBC notes, it is impossible to determine which products were affected by tariffs. However, Walmart announced in May that it would begin increasing prices in June to account for Trump’s tariffs. See Business Insider, (5/15/25) Walmart Warns in Earnings That Prices Will Go up Because of Tariffs.

So, here’s my point: Prices have already begun to increase because of tariff deals already in place. The EUis America’s largest trading partner. A 15% tariff on many European goods is effectively equivalent to a 15% sales tax on many goods purchased by US consumers.

Democrats are frequently criticized for having a “messaging” problem—which is true to a certain extent. However, when Trump imposes a 15% sales tax on US consumers and leading publications report on this fact as if it involves the foreign trade balance of payments, the media is giving Trump a free pass (or even suggesting that he is “accomplishing” something, which he is not).

If Biden had imposed a 15% tariff on goods imported from the EU, the legacy media would have run headlines like, “Biden’s tariffs hurt consumers, increase the price of eggs.” So, yes, we have a messaging problem. But that is because the legacy media parrot Trump’s talking points while criticizing everything Democrats do. That is why we must take messaging into our hands.

Did I mention that "Trump announces new 15% sales tax on US consumers”?

Tell a friend!

The Epstein child sex trafficking scandal

The Epstein child sex trafficking scandal remained in the news during the first weekend of Congress’s summer break. Grassroots activists continued their protests across the United States. Reader Susan M. sent me the photo below of a rally on the I-93 overpasses at the northern end of Franconia Notch, New Hampshire.

There are many commendable aspects of the rally, but the messaging is particularly effective: Justice for the victims, with a large American flag front and center. It is hard to argue with a message like that! The North County Resilience Visibility Brigade is striking while the iron is hot—at the beginning of the congressional recess, when the child sex trafficking scandal is still uppermost in voters’ minds. Keep up the good work!

As the major parties and the media struggle for the most effective way to talk about the Epstein child sex trafficking scandal, Rebecca Solnit republished her article from 2019 in The Literary Hub, In the Patriarchy No One Can Hear You Scream: Rebecca Solnit on Jeffrey Epstein and the Silencing Machine.

Solnit’s article makes a point that should remain top of mind every day until the last victim receives justice. The child sex trafficking ring remained in operation for decades (as an open secret) because of a culture of acceptance and permission that granted rich and powerful people the right to rape children without consequence.

Solnit writes,

Monsters rule over us, on behalf of monsters. . . . These men could not do what they did without a culture—lawyers, journalists, judges, friends—that protected them, valued them, and devalued their victims and survivors.

They do not act alone, and their might is nothing more or less than the way a system rewards and protects them, which is another definition of rape culture. That is, their impunity is not inherent; it’s something the society grants them and can take away.

The ongoing conspiracy to protect the identity of the perpetrators while attacking the victims as participants in a “hoax” can only happen when an entire culture of elite lawyers, journalists, judges, and billionaires conspires to protect the patriarchy. “Monsters rule over us, on behalf of monsters.”

The perpetuation of the “rape culture” that protects the rich and powerful was on display over the weekend as affluent, white male members of Congress took to the airwaves to claim that the “scandal” was a hoax created by Obama. Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that “It’s not in my lane” to prevent the grant of a pardon to Ghislaine Maxwell—an act that would be a grotesque miscarriage of justice.

Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell on the false premise that the scandal is a “hoax” created by Obama would re-traumatize not only the victims but all American women. It would compound and reopen the wounds of Access Hollywood, Trump’s defense in the E. Jean Carroll case, and the Supreme Court’s decision in *Dobbs—*all of which are premised on the misogynistic notion that women are inherently unreliable, unable to be trusted with the truth or their own reproductive choices. The demotion of women to unreliable “second-class citizens" increases the potential for future abuse and exploitation.

The cruelty is the point. Trump is trying to turn the Epstein scandal into the next MAGA conspiracy theory, not only to save himself but to salve the wounded pride, bruised egos, and frustrated libidos of MAGA men. Trump is trying to turn his friendship with a pedophile into a political advantage—a prospect that should horrify every American of good faith and human decency.

The messaging of the North County Resilience Visibility Brigade in New Hampshire is spot on: Justice for the victims. By beginning every conversation about the scandal with the victims, we prevent it from devolving into a political scandal. Instead, it is a story about the rape of girls and a decades-long cover-up facilitated by some of the nation’s most prominent attorneys, politicians, judges, journalists, and billionaires.

Opportunity for Reader Engagement

From my friends at 31st Street Swing Left:

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31st Street Swing Left is raising crucial early money for this August 26 election. Catelin Drey is a super Dem Candidate - 39 years old with strong community ties in Sioux City, and founder of Mom’s for Iowa.

Her opponent is a little-known super MAGA supporter. Trump’s actions are hurting and unpopular in Iowa. Trump won this district by 11 points, but the same fired-up Iowa Democratic approach won a Trump+21 Special election in January!

The road to 2026 leads through Iowa, with a crucial US Senate, two competitive US House seats, and a Governor’s race. Winning this special election now will send a powerful message across the country.

31st Street Swing Left is an all-volunteer grassroots organizations dedicated to electing Democrats and preserving our democracy. DONATE TO CATELIN HERE

Concluding Thoughts.

During my Saturday live stream, I spoke about a constant source of frustration among grassroots activists: The absence of Democratic leaders who are rallying and organizing the party faithful into a cohesive and effective pro-democracy force.

As it is, grassroots activists are taking to the streets and organizing strike forces to elect Democrats in special elections. (See, e.g., the 31st Street Swing Left “Opportunity for Reader Engagement, above.) Democratic leadership appears to be on a separate track, focusing almost exclusively on serving as the opposition party in Congress. Party officials are busy raising money, and state officials are fighting rearguard actions to save funding for their states.

In my comments, I noted that being a good leader or member of the minority party in Congress is acceptable in normal times. But we are not living in normal times. Democracy itself is under attack. It is not enough to be a leader or member in Congress or the chair of a Democratic fundraising committee.

Like it or not, our elected officials and party representatives have been chosen to lead Democrats during one of the most perilous times in our nation’s history. They must not only fulfill their day-to-day responsibilities as leaders and members of Congress, but they must also serve as national leaders of the resistance.

The Democratic faithful and grassroots activists are yearning for leaders who will equal or exceed Trump’s ability to command the airwaves, attract attention, set the agenda, and control the political narrative. That job is much bigger than managing minority caucuses in the House or Senate, or raising money for the Democratic Party.

It is bigger than being a representative or senator who dutifully shows up to vote on bills, makes speeches from the floor of the House and Senate, and responds to constituent inquiries about problems with Social Security. It is bigger than being a governor, state legislator, or mayor.

The times call for elected Democratic officials to step outside their comfort zones, to step up to the forefront of the battle, to join the party faithful in the streets—and not just for a five-minute speech followed by a quick return to the Capitol or statehouse in a black SUV.

We need national leaders who will walk the walk with grassroots activists, who will call for the faithful to show up at a rally and then lead the march through the streets as a visible, engaged leader of the resistance. If you lead, we will follow.

I understand that some (many? most?) elected officials who ran for a seat in Congress, the statehouse, or on a fundraising committee did not sign up for the broader role as leader of the resistance. If stepping into a dual role at a time of national crisis is outside your comfort zone or beyond your capabilities, do the right thing and allow someone else to lead.

The times demand nothing less. Lead or get out of the way and let someone else take the lead. We will be forever grateful for your act of selflessness.

But it is not only congressional leaders, party officials, governors, and state legislators who must step outside of their comfort zones. We must do so as well. In the past, it was enough to show up to vote on Election Day. No more. We must step outside our comfort zone and become defenders of democracy, rallying others to vote, protesting injustice everywhere and anywhere, and raising our voices so loudly that they cannot be ignored.

Enough of us must rise to meet the moment to save our democracy—especially our congressional leaders and members of Congress. You are the natural leaders in this moment. Your country and constituents are begging you to lead the march. Seize the baton, hoist the flag, and clasp hands with your compatriots. We have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. You will be greeted with open arms and grateful support!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Daily Dose of Perspective

The Elephant Trunk Nebula is located 2,400 light years from Earth. The “elephant trunk” is a long cloud of interstellar gas and dust within a. much larger nebula of ionized gas.

1

This sentence is a joke that mimics Trump’s style of speaking, characterized by a mixture of hyperbole, delusions of grandeur, and profound ignorance of history and the English language. Trump didn’t speak the words in italics, but only because he was dozing during the press conference when a reporter asked him to discuss tariffs.

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From Today's Edition Newsletter via this RSS feed

Friends,

As you may know, I’m very short. I’ve always been very short. I never got taller than 4 feet 11 inches. (And for the last few years I’ve been shrinking.)

I came up short. As, in many ways, has America. If you needed proof, look no further than Trump.

I’ve written a memoir of my life and times entitled Coming Up Short. It will be out next Tuesday, August 5.

The reason I wrote this book is to share what I’ve learned about stopping bullies, at a time in American history when we’re dealing with an authoritarian bully who has encouraged bullying throughout the nation and the world.

In the book I wrestle with being bullied as a kid.

I also wrestle with why a plurality of American voters chose Trump for president again in 2024. And why so many feel bullied today — bullied by people who are richer and more powerful than they are, who take delight in abusing their power to become even richer and even more powerful.

It’s my story. It’s also the story of America.

I hope you find it helpful for understanding how we combat the bullies in the years ahead. And why I believe so passionately that we will.

I also hope you draw insight and inspiration from ideas I offer for how to play the long game, toward a better and more decent nation and world.

If you wish, you can preorder here from Bookstore.org, which supports local bookstores, or find it wherever books are sold.

Many thanks.

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From Robert Reich via this RSS feed

Friends,

Please submit your caption in the Comments section and, as before, please use the Comments section only for captions.

Winners will be announced next Sunday. For consideration, please post your caption by Monday at 9 pm PT, 12 midnight ET.

Leave a comment

Two winners last week:

“I’m the ghost of pedophiles past!”

(Congratulations, Ira H Goldman.)

“Shadows at Mar-a-Lago

He talks of walls and stolen votes,

Of rigged-up courts and secret notes.

But there’s a name he will not say—

Epstein’s ghost won’t drift away.

Palm Beach nights, the cameras flash,

Old guest lists scribbled in the stash.

"Just a photo," Trump will claim,

But history remembers names.

1992—a party small,

Two men, some women, no press call.

Acquaintance? Yes. Close friend? Deny.

Yet whispers float, they never die.

Facts linger:

– Trump once said Epstein liked them “young.”

– Mar-a-Lago hosted their shared rung.

– Virginia Roberts? She worked his spa—

Until that world exposed its flaw.

Now courtrooms hum, depositions loom,

Subpoenas knock like distant doom.

In campaign rallies loud and brash,

He dodges shadows with every flash.

But beneath the slogans, sharp and terse,

There’s fear not found in any verse.

Not of polls or rival tweets—

But of names that courts repeat.”

(Congratulations, Lewis Combs.)

Runners-up:

“Epstein’s ghost warns of visits from three spirits: Pride, Greed and Ketchup”

(Congratulations, Russwin Francisco.)

“Hello darkness my old fiend!”

(Congratulations, Laurie Blair.)

“See you soon, Ol’ Pal! Don’t worry — it’s a dry heat!”

(Congratulations, Bob Morgan.)

“I’m the Ghost of Secrets Past”

(Congratulations, Michael Smeltz.)

“Erections have consequences, Donald!”

(Congratulations, Steve Yaeger.)

Share

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From Robert Reich via this RSS feed

From early morning on Friday, July 25, Genoa set the stage for new anti-armament mobilizations in Italy: dockworkers protested arms transfers to Israel, while the public rejected plans that would turn their city into a hotpoint of NATO’s war machine.

José Nivoi from the Autonomous Collective of Port Workers (Collettivo Autonomo dei Lavoratori Portuali, CALP) and the local union chapter of Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), emphasized that the morning rally was directed specifically at the new city authorities, with dockworkers demanding a clear stance of solidarity with Palestine – an assurance they say was given. “The evening assembly was also very lively,” Nivoi told Peoples Dispatch. “Around 150 people took part – mostly members of the general public, not just activists – and joined a discussion on the plans to transform the port into dual-use military infrastructure.”

Dockworkers against arms transfers

Port workers in Genoa have long taken action against arms transfers through their harbor, including past warnings about shipments to Saudi Arabia. Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, they have deepened ties with other dockworkers’ collectives, particularly in Greece and France, acting along similar lines. According to Nivoi, it was a warning from their Greek comrades that alerted them to the planned arrival of the COSCO Shipping Pisces – a vessel carrying military-grade steel bound for Israel, which had previously been blocked by port workers in Piraeus – at the Ligurian ports of La Spezia and Genoa.

Although it is still unclear whether the COSCO Pisces will eventually dock in Genoa in the coming days, port workers have made their position clear: if asked to handle its military cargo, they will refuse. USB has stated that such a request would trigger an immediate strike. “Our port must be declared off-limits to ships bound for or arriving from Israel,” USB’s chapter in Genoa’s port stated. “We join this struggle for peace, civilization, and against genocide in Palestine, as well as in all other theaters of war.”

Read more: Activists in Italy defend trade unionist targeted for opposing arms transfer

There is a clear moral and ethical imperative to boycott the handling of military cargo, Nivoi explains, as doing so makes workers complicit in wars and war crimes. Beyond that, he adds, there are serious health, safety, and legal concerns that both employers and the government routinely overlook. In principle, Italy has strong legal safeguards against arms transfers to countries engaged in armed conflict, including constitutional provisions that explicitly repudiate war. In practice, these are often disregarded. Other crucial questions remain unaddressed, including the risk military cargo poses to both workers and surrounding communities. “These containers are sometimes full of explosive materials. What happens if something goes off? It’s not just the workers who will suffer the consequences, it’s the entire city,” Nivoi says. “The same goes for chemical cargo. How do we know what the health effects will be for workers handling chemicals used in weapon production?”

Dual-use puts everyone at risk

The dockworkers’ position aligns with a broader campaign recently launched by USB in support of conscientious objection to arms transfers and scientific collaboration with Israel. It also serves as a bridge between the Palestine solidarity efforts led by Genoa’s port workers and the wider mobilizations against militarization taking place across Italy and Europe.

According to plans recently floated by Italian regional and national authorities, Genoa could be expected to host an increasing number of non-cargo ships in the future. A dual-use clause is supposed to allow EU member states to designate civilian infrastructure for military purposes under newly expanded NATO budgets. At a summit in June 2025, with no significant opposition from major European governments, members agreed – bowing to pressure from US President Donald Trump – to allocate 5% of GDP to the war alliance. Of this, 3.5% is earmarked for military troops and equipment (presumably mostly US-made), while the remaining 1.5% can fund more loosely-related infrastructure.

Read more: The first crack in NATO’s fortress? Slovenia opens the referendum conundrum

Plans are already underway to classify ports, railways, and highways as dual-use infrastructure, making them eligible for funding under the 1.5% of NATO-linked spending. Genoa’s port, which lies along several strategic transport corridors, has been included on one of these lists. Its new breakwater project has been described by officials as suitable for handling smaller aircraft carriers, NATO vessels, military equipment, and troops. This only compounds the existing risks associated with the dam project, Nivoi warns, from its construction on a collapse-prone foundation to environmental threats and steep financial costs.

“But perhaps the most serious danger,” he adds, “is what the decision to make the breakwater dual-use really signals: how far European leaders are willing to go in preparing for war. It’s a major shift. They are ready to dedicate everything to it, so much so that the risk of war becomes more real with each passing day.”

However, a growing number of people in Genoa reject these plans, refusing to be turned into accessories to war. Echoing this sentiment, the anti-armament platform “Disarmiamoli!” called for a public assembly on Friday to denounce the militarization of local infrastructure. “In a national context of rearmament, increased military spending, and escalating war, this decision dramatically increases risks for residents, not just workers,” the network said in a press release.

Strengthening infrastructure doesn’t mean militarizing it

Marta Collot, spokesperson for the left party Potere al Popolo, echoed the platform’s call for action. “We know that words are not enough and that concrete resistance is needed in a context of rising military spending pushed by NATO, of a European rearmament and so-called common defense that only brings more war, and of a war economy that will strangle our country from within,” she wrote after the protest on Friday.

Activists and workers argue that instead of transforming civilian infrastructure into military hubs under the pretext of dual-use, the government should invest in public services and social security. While some claim that embracing dual-use policies could expand funding for projects that will otherwise remain underfunded, dockworkers firmly refute such reasoning. “Strengthening port and logistics infrastructure must not mean putting them at the service of war, but rather at the service of trade relations built on conciliation and international cooperation,” USB members at the Port of Trieste stated in a message ahead of the Genoa mobilizations.

“While we’re being asked to handle arms shipments that boost the profits of private companies and accept rising military budgets, our own salaries and livelihoods are stagnating or collapsing,” Nivoi says. Due to inflation and cuts to public services, he adds, Italy’s working class is increasingly forced to choose between accessing education, healthcare and affording basic necessities. “Workers in Italy are already feeling the effects of this new war obsession through inflation and growing poverty.”

The post One Italian city says no to warships and weapons for Israel appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

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From Peoples Dispatch via this RSS feed

Found in the always awesome “Just for Skeets and Giggles” by Jay Kuo.

Hi, all, and happy Sunday!

Here’s your list of everything good that happened this week while we were simultaneously being dragged through a continuing Trumpian hellscape.

Enjoy, share, and celebrate them. Remember, it does no disservice to those who are suffering to focus for a moment on something positive. In fact, it strengthens us so that we can keep up our fight for justice.

Also? What we focus on gains power.

So take a few minutes this Sunday to dwell on this list of wins.

Thanks for all you do to help make the good stuff happen!

P.S. — It’s been a long time since I’ve publicly thanked my paid subscribers. Yet I literally couldn’t do what I do without you. You make all of this work possible and I’m staggeringly grateful. THANK YOU!

Celebrate This! 🎉

A former Louisville police officer convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during a police raid in which she was killed was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

A man who admitted to being a fascist during a debate with Mehdi Hasan was fired from his job.

Almost every late night host showed up at Stephen Colbert’s first show after being cancelled in order to show their support.

The DNC is up with billboards calling out Trump’s betrayal of rural hospitals.

Despite the national extension shutting down, Illinois is keeping its dedicated 988 lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth.

The United Nations reported a global shift toward renewable energy, passing a “positive tipping point” where solar and wind power will become even cheaper and more widespread.

Todd Koehnke and Tim Macklin, cofounders of the Collective Oyster Recycling and Restoration, have set out to restore the health of Connecticut’s overfished oyster beds by collecting shells from about 50 seafood restaurants in the state and dropping them back where they came from.

Conservationists and AI are successfully teaming up to help save the California red-legged frog.

Missouri has ended its luxury tax on period products and diapers, becoming the 31st state to do so.

There are now about 11,400 high-speed, public charging stations in the US, and hundreds more are being added every few months. Driven by the private sector, the rapid expansion has continued despite the Trump administration’s freezing of construction subsidies.

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration shall not take Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly removed from the U.S. earlier this year, into custody should he be released from pretrial incarceration on immigrant smuggling charges.

Greece revealed the boundaries of two planned marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying they will be the largest in the Mediterranean region.

People in New York prisons will be able to use their tablets and facility phones without charge starting Aug. 1; the move by Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration makes New York the first state to mandate free prison calls through executive action.

A House subcommittee voted to subpoena the DOJ for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein after Democrats successfully goaded GOP lawmakers to defy Trump and Republican leadership to support the action.

Liberal group Protect Our Care is launching a $525,000 radio ad campaign attacking Republicans for threatening Medicaid coverage for rural Americans. The ads are running in Arizona, Florida, California, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington.

‘South Park’ excoriated Paramount and humiliated Trump in the premiere episode of the show’s 27th season.

President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state in pursuit of what he called the historical French commitment “to a just and durable peace in the Middle East.”

House office buildings will now stock overdose reversal kits next to emergency defibrillators in an effort to stop preventable deaths on Capitol Hill.

Enbridge announced it will invest $900 million on a 600 megawatt solar power project in Texas.

National Guard troops in L.A. are growing demoralized. Here’s why that’s a good thing.

New York city’s public hospital system is joining the “food as medicine” movement, offering “prescriptions” for free boxes of fresh produce delivered to patients’ homes each month for six months.

Six hours after Louisville Public Media lost $376,000 in annual funding, it held an emergency pledge drive. The organization’s president and CEO says it raised more than $500,000.

In general, donations to NPR and PBS stations have surged since Trump’s cuts were signed into law.

Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels signed a declaration of principles to end decades of fighting, commit to a comprehensive peace agreement, and commit to “building trust” through various measures.

According to Democratic governor Katie Hobbs, $429 million in medical debt has been erased for more than 352,000 Arizonans as part of a partnership between her administration and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt.

A diverse group of faith leaders, college students, grandmothers, retired lawyers and professors has been showing up at immigration courts across the nation to escort immigrants at risk of being detained for deportation by ICE agents.

Tree planting in England is now at its highest recorded rate in over 20 years.

A third federal court blocked Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship.

A district court judge ruled that information showing how the Office of Management and Budget directs agencies to spend taxpayer money—which the Trump administration removed from the OMB website—must be restored for public access.

Chappell Roan will donate $1 per ticket to trans youth charities on her mini fall tour.

After Democratic AGs and other groups sued, the Trump administration is releasing 6 billion in grants for education it had previously blocked.

Thousands of protestors gathered in Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland to protest Trump as he arrived on his 10M golf trip.

In a landmark ruling, the International Court of Justice declared that failure to act on climate change can be an “internationally wrongful act”—meaning countries could face legal consequences for harming the planet.

Roy Cooper, the popular Democratic former governor of North Carolina, is running for US Senate! This makes that seat VERY winnable.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced a new program to deliver hot meals, groceries and prescription medicines to immigrant parishioners amid ongoing ICE raids.

Alan Cumming took over 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' this week and used his opening monologue to speak out for trans and immigrant rights.

Tesla’s net income dropped 16% in the second quarter.

JD Vance and his family went to Nantucket on vacation and were greeted by booing protestors, lots of mocking signage, and a pink blow-up couch.

UCLA has teamed up with USC and civic partners to create ShadeLA, a coalition which aims to expand urban tree canopy and shade infrastructure, building heat resilience for Angelenos.

The Republican Accountability Project dropped a huge billboard in Times Square asking ‘Why won’t Trump release the Epstein files?’

Trump’s approval rating dropped to its lowest level of his second term—37%!—a shift fueled by a huge decline in support among independents.

Democratic Rep. Greg Casar is introducing legislation to ban "surveillance pricing," whereby companies use personal data to charge consumers different prices for the same products.

Renewables like solar and wind are now crushing fossil fuels on price. More than 90% of renewable sources are now cheaper than their available carbon-emitting alternatives.

George Santos reported to prison.

Twenty-eight countries including Britain, Japan and a host of European nations issued a joint statement Monday saying the war in Gaza “must end now”

The Supreme Court halted an appeals ruling that prevents private groups from challenging election maps under the Voting Rights Act in seven states.

UnitedHealth Group revealed it is facing Department of Justice investigationover its Medicare billing practices.

Every Tuesday this summer at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., fired federal employees and their children will share personal stories and pen letters urging lawmakers to protect public service jobs and uphold democratic norms — they’re calling it “Camp Democracy.” [H/T ]

A group of voters launched a new lawsuit on Tuesday saying that Wisconsin’s congressional map violates the state constitution by discriminating against Democrats.

Ozzy Osborne’s farewell show, held a couple of weeks before he died, became the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, bringing in over $190 million for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s.

Homicide rates are hitting record lows in major U.S. cities.

​An anonymous donor gave $52,500 to help clear Colorado’s rape kit backlog.

Senegal is the 9th African nation to eliminate trachoma, once its leading infectious cause of blindness.

Operation Green Shield just took place across the Amazon in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with 350 coordinated raids to stop illegal mining, logging, and wildlife trafficking, recovering $64 million of assets.

As sustainability initiatives in other industries stall out, big acts like Coldplay, Dave Matthews, and Billie Eilish are pushing live music to go green.

The Department of Defense sent home about 700 U.S. Marines deployed to Los Angeles.

After pushback from Sen. Warren, the Social Security Administration said it will continue issuing paper checks to the retirement program's beneficiaries, backing away from a previously announced plan to switch all payments to electronic deposits after Sept. 30.

L.A. grand juries are refusing to indict ICE protestors.

Gavin Newsom said he plans to see Fox News host Jesse Watters in court despite an on-air apology from the host after he falsely claimed Newsom lied about a phone conversation with Trump.

On Monday, protesters gathered outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to shout “Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!”

A Scottish newspaper went viral as Donald Trump prepared to visit by using its front page to declare a “convicted felon” was “to arrive in Scotland.”

A federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Illinois, Cook County and Chicago sanctuary policies that ban assisting in immigration-related matters.

Awful Oklahoma state superintendent (and so-called Christian) Ryan Walters accidentally displayed porn on his office TV during a board meeting and now everyone knows he’s a hypocrite.

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From Chop Wood, Carry Water via this RSS feed

Friends,

Trump has entered a new and wilder stage of authoritarian neofascism. No holds barred. Nothing out of bounds. Rapacious, racist, nativist, vindictive, corrupt.

In his desperate attempt to deflect attention from his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, he’s even accusing Barack Obama of treason.

If you’re also horrified by all this, know that most other Americans are, too (if polls are to be believed).

Resistance is more important than ever.

We are deeply indebted to all the judges who are trying to stop this. Most have shown themselves principled, steadfast, and courageous.

Gratitude is also due the public servants still in their jobs who are standing up to this.

We are grateful to all the communities trying to protect their neighbors from Trump’s vicious anti-immigrant dragnet.

Thankful also to the teachers, public employees, workers, and grassroots groups fighting his attacks on the poor and needy.

To the professors, administrators, and students joining together to fight his attacks on higher education.

Appreciative of all who are protesting, demanding, refusing to submit, making good trouble, and remaining hopeful.

The more Trump’s tyranny is exposed, the stronger the resistance. The worse it gets, the larger the backlash. The crueler and more vicious his regime becomes, the more powerful the alliances being formed at every level of society and the world to stop him.

We will sweep vulnerable Republican lawmakers out of office in 2026 or before.

We will support groups like the ACLU that are taking Trump to court.

We will stop the lies and spread the truth.

Tyrants cannot succeed where people refuse to submit to them. We will not submit. We will emerge from this stronger than we were before, and more committed to democracy and the common good.

Be safe. Be strong. Hug your loved ones.

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From Robert Reich via this RSS feed

Ten days ago, ten Republican senators wrote to Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, asking him to release the funds Congress appropriated in March to support education. Vought was a key author of Project 2025, which claims the federal government has been taken over by a radical left cabal and calls for the decimation of that government in favor of state power, enabling the construction of a religious government.

Vought was central to the cuts made by the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and has recently pushed Congress to put its stamp of approval on $9.4 billion of those cuts. Over the objections of Democrats, Republicans agreed earlier this month to approve cuts the administration made to laws passed by Congress, known as "rescissions,” for the first time in decades. Trump signed that measure into law on Thursday.

The Constitution charges the president with making sure the laws passed by Congress are “faithfully executed,” and the 1974 Impoundment Control Act prohibits the executive branch from withholding funds appropriated by Congress, leading lawmakers to object that the Trump administration is breaking the law and trying to take over Congress’s job of writing laws. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) said of the rescission package: “Let's not make a habit of this. Let’s not consider this a precedent.” But Vought says those cuts are just the beginning.

In March, Congress approved nearly $7 billion in education funding that was supposed to be released by July 1, but the administration announced on June 30 it would not do so, saying officials were conducting a “review.” The funds included money to recruit and train teachers and to support arts and music education in low-income areas, as well as funds for children learning English and for the children of migrant farm workers. New York Times education reporter Sarah Mervosh noted that the Office of Management and Budget said federal dollars were being “grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda.”

“We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,” the senators wrote to Vought, but “we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”

Also yesterday, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), who chairs the Senate Appropriations homeland subcommittee, and thirteen of her Republican colleagues wrote a letter to Vought urging him to “fully implement” the government funding measure Congress passed in March, releasing money for programs funded by the National Institutes of Health. The letter clarified that its authors shared Vought’s “commitment to ensuring NIH funds are used responsibly and not diverted to ideological or unaccountable programs.” But, it warned, “Suspension of these appropriated funds—whether formally withheld or functionally delayed—could threaten Americans’ ability to access better treatments and limit our nation’s leadership in biomedical science.”

As Trump’s popularity falls, Republican lawmakers are having to confront the reality that the Project 2025 program the administration is putting into place is deeply unpopular not just with Democrats and Independents but also with Republicans. They appear to be trying desperately to shore up some of the damage the administration has done. And the White House seems to be concerned enough about the 2026 midterms that it’s listening. Yesterday the Trump administration announced it would release more than $5 billion in funding it had withheld from public schools.

The release of money before the start of the school year will help to hide from voters how the administration’s decisions are affecting their everyday lives, a helpful reprieve as the administration continues to stonewall over the files of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Still refusing to entertain the idea of releasing the files themselves, administration officials have now met twice with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse children. Trump’s former attorney Todd Blanche is representing the Department of Justice (DOJ). He wrote: “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane [sic] Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”

Interviewing Maxwell, who is fishing for a reduction in her 20-year sentence, is unlikely to be a convincing substitute for the files themselves, especially since we now know Trump is mentioned in the files and lied that Attorney General Pam Bondi had not given him that information.

The circumstances around the talks also seem fishy. Alan Feuer of the New York Times reports that Blanche is a personal friend of Maxwell’s lawyer David O. Markus. Feuer also noted that Blanche has taken the lead in the discussions since the department fired Maurene Comey, who prosecuted the cases of both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell herself is a problematic witness: in 2020, during Trump’s first administration, the Justice Department charged her with two counts of perjury in addition to the charges of sexually grooming children and sex trafficking. As CNN’s Aaron Blake pointed out today, in filing the charges, the Justice Department said that her lies “should give the Court serious pause” about trusting her and that her “willingness to brazenly lie under oath about her conduct…strongly suggests her true motive has been and remains to avoid being held accountable for her crimes.”

Yesterday Trump appeared to dangle a pardon over Maxwell when he pointed out to reporters that he’s “allowed” to pardon her.

As Republicans note Trump’s weakening power, elected officials appear to be pushing for rollbacks of his policies. At the same time, his appointees are pushing to put as much of their agenda into operation as they can, while they can.

Liz Essley Whyte reported yesterday in the Wall Street Journal that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to remove all sixteen members of a task force that advises the federal government on what preventative health care measures—things like cancer screenings—health insurers must cover. Whyte explains that the people currently on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have medical expertise, are vetted to make sure they don’t have conflicts of interest, and use the latest scientific evidence to determine which interventions work.

In June, Kennedy replaced all seventeen of the members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with seven people who share Kennedy’s distrust of vaccines. They announced that they would reexamine the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule for children and adults.

Hannah Natanson, Jeff Stein, Dan Diamond, and Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post reported today that staff associated with the “Department of Government Efficiency” are using artificial intelligence to eliminate half of the government’s regulations by next January. James Burnham, former chief attorney for DOGE, told the reporters: “Creative deployment of artificial intelligence to advance the president’s regulatory agenda is one logical strategy to make significant progress” during Trump’s term.

Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, announced yesterday that it is starting a “detention support grant program” to fund temporary detention facilities. States have until August 8 to apply for grants from a pot of $608 million. FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will distribute the funds.

There appears to be pushback against some of the extremes of the administration’s appointees. Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt, and Helene Cooper of the New York Times reported today that senior military officers are increasingly at odds with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon has been rocky, as most of his staff have either resigned or been fired and have not been replaced, and as he uploaded classified information about military strikes to a private Signal chat on which a reporter had been included.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), whose support for Hegseth earned him Senate confirmation, recently told CNN: “With the passing of time, I think it’s clear he’s out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization.”

—

Notes:

https://www.capito.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_director_vought.pdf

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/25/britt-leads-letter-urging-trump-administration-to-release-delayed-nih-funds-00476872

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-rescissions-package-foreign-aid-npr-pbs-funding/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/15/senate-republicans-trump-rescissions-bill/

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2025/0717/russell-vought-trump-congress-budget

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/us/education-funds-released-white-house.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/politics/todd-blanche-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-trump.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/07/25/trump-says-hes-allowed-to-pardon-ghislaine-maxwell-amid-epstein-files-controversy/

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/25/politics/ghislaine-maxwell-trump-epstein-doj

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/rfk-health-screening-panel-members-c308cbb0

https://19thnews.org/2025/06/rfk-jr-fires-vaccine-panel-replacements/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjd2de8zz5go

https://sam.gov/fal/9ee7147447584efda2d2ed4ac51a92aa/view

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fema-send-states-608-million-build-migrant-detention-centers-rcna221145

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/us/politics/tillis-hegseth-vote-unfit.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-sen-thom-tillis-says-hegseth-depth-defense-secretary-rcna217959

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/07/26/doge-ai-tool-cut-regulations-trump/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/us/politics/hegseth-pentagon-leadership.html

X:

AGPamBondi/status/1947622027587723365

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The Sunday Comment section is open!

Talk to you tomorrow!

The Crescent Nebula is located approximately 5,000 light years from Earth and is 25 light years in diameter. The nebula’s striking appearance is caused by a central star generating stellar winds that push oxygen and hydrogen atoms outward.

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Hi, everyone! Good Saturday morning to you all!

I will be starting a Substack live stream at 9 am Pacific / Noon Eastern on Saturday, July 26. Just open the Substack App at the appointed time and you will receive a notification that I am “livestreaming.”

I will post the video later today!

[This Comment section for this note is closed. Please leave comments at Comments - Saturday Edition - by Robert B. Hubbell]

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From Letters from an American via this RSS feed

Friends,

Today we take another deep dive into the murky world of Epstein and Trump, looking at how Trump’s consolidation of power has made it harder for him to rebut charges of a cover-up. We also look at the stories that “Epsteingate” has crowded out this week: Palestinian children starving in Gaza because of Netanyahu’s policies (backed by Trump), more than a third of all federal judges complaining that Trump is defying them, and a mind-boggling number of people being detained in ICE’s inhumane detention camps. We also look at Trump’s silencing of critics such as Stephen Colbert, Washington Post columnists, and the students and faculty of Columbia University.

Read more

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From Robert Reich via this RSS feed

Why I'm pausing this series at least for now

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From Socialism For All / S4A ☭ Intensify Class Struggle via this RSS feed

“We’re going to end up shooting some of them.”

At 9:00 on the morning of May 2, 2025, a Florida Highway Patrol officer pulled over a van with 18-year-old U.S. citizen Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio and two undocumented men in it. Laynez-Ambrosio’s mother was driving the men to their landscaping job. The patrol officer called U.S. Border Patrol agents. Laynez-Ambrosio recorded what happened next. The Guardian’s Clare Considine reported the story today.

The video shows a female officer asking if anyone in the van is in the U.S. illegally. One man said he was undocumented. “OK, let’s go,” Laynez-Ambrosio heard one of the officers say. An officer popped the door of the van open and grabbed the man by the neck in a chokehold. In the video, several officers pull the man from the van and tell him to “put your f*cking head down.” While Laynez-Ambrosio can be heard telling his friend in Spanish not to resist, the officers drop the man to the ground with a stun gun.

“You’re funny, bro,” one officer says to another, apparently the one who used the stun gun. The officers laugh.

Another says, “They’re starting to resist more now,” to which an officer replies: “We’re going to end up shooting some of them.”

Later the officers say: “Goddamn! Woo! Nice!” adding: “Just remember, you can smell that [inaudible] $30,000 bonus.”

Diamond Walker and Valentina Palm of the Palm Beach Post added that an officer explained the stun gun: “He was being a d***. “That’s the one we tased.”

The officers arrested Laynez-Ambrosio, a U.S. citizen, and held him for six hours in a cell at a Customs and Border Patrol station, then charged him with obstruction without violence. He was sentenced to 10 hours of community service and a four-hour anger management course.

Eighty-four years ago today, on July 25, 1941, Emmet Till was born in Chicago, Illinois.

In August 1955, when he was fourteen years old, Till went to visit relatives in a small Mississippi town. After the wife of a white man named Roy Bryant accused the Black boy of flirting with her, Bryant and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, kidnapped Till, brutally beat him, mutilated him, shot him in the back of the head, and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River.

In September 1955 an all-white jury took just over an hour to find Bryant and Milam not guilty. A member of the jury said, “We wouldn’t have taken so long if we hadn’t stopped to drink pop.”

Immune from further prosecution, Bryant and Milam told their story to Look magazine for $4,000. They said they had kidnapped and beaten Till to frighten him, but when he refused to beg for mercy, they drove him to the river. Milam asked, “You still as good as I am?” and when Till answered, “Yeah,” they shot him, tied a 75-pound cotton gin fan around his neck with barbed wire, and threw him in.

“What else could we do?” Milam said. “He was hopeless. I’m no bully. I never hurt a n*gger in my life. I like n*ggers, in their place. I know how to work ’em. But I just decided it was time a few people got put on notice. As long as I live and can do anything about it, n*ggers are gonna stay in their place.”

After Till’s body had been recovered from the Tallahatchie, the county sheriff directed that the body be buried quickly, but Till’s mother insisted that her son’s body be returned to Chicago.

There, she insisted on an open-casket funeral.

“Let the world see what I have seen,” she said.

—

Notes:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/25/florida-teen-immigration-arrest

https://www.life.com/history/the-murder-of-emmett-till-and-the-sham-trial-that-shocked-the-nation/

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2025/07/25/us-citizen-in-ice-custody-in-palm-beach-county-florida/85357485007/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-biography-roy-carolyn-bryant-and-jw-milam/

https://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/confession.html

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-trial-jw-milam-and-roy-bryant/

https://savingplaces.org/till

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[Join me for a Substack livestream on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 9 a.m. PDT, 12:00 p.m. EDT. Open to all on the Substack App.]

For today’s edition, I am turning over the pen to Susan D. Wagner, a well-known and highly regarded grassroots leader. Susan helped found Markers for Democracy and the Substack “The Grassroots Connector.” She is also the host of the Substack Live “It Needs to be Said” on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. One of her key issues is advocating for the grassroots “to have a seat at the table.”

In recent conversations with Susan, she raised many of the same frustrations I continually hear from readers and activists in the grassroots movement. Susan wrote the essay below. As you will learn, Susan feels burned out and taken for granted by party leaders and consultants who see the grassroots resistance as a tool that can be summoned or dismissed at their convenience.

I share Susan’s essay not because I suggest that you should feel the same as Susan. However, many people in the grassroots movement share Susan's sentiments at this moment. Perhaps not always, but sometimes. It is only natural that we experience cycles of passion and frustration. We are living through challenging times that swing wildly between highs and lows.

But here’s the point: Susan isn’t giving up. She hasn’t given up over the last eight years, and she will be in the trenches for as long as it takes.

Have a good weekend, everyone. Join me on the Substack livestream for a pep talk tomorrow at 9 am PDT / Noon EDT on the Substack App.

The Indefatigable are fatigued.

By Susan D. Wagner

Raise your hand if the following describes you anytime over the past eight years:

You are indefatigable, always ready to dig deeper because so much is at stake. A human Eveready Battery.

When Trump was inaugurated in 2017 and again in 2025, you brought energy and tenacity to the fight.

You helped create a grassroots group, or you joined and became an active member.

You are always looking for opportunities to support collective actions to resist the MAGA agenda. But when you join those actions, you discover that party officials and consultants expect you to supply the legwork, organization, leadership, and fighting spirit necessary for those actions to succeed. You quickly learn that grassroots organizers and volunteers are taken for granted—even when their efforts are the difference between defeat and victory.

You have responded generously when elected officials send fundraising emails saying the sky is falling, even though their actions are not commensurate with the threats they say we are facing.

As grassroots activists, we invest our time and energy because we believe we can make a difference. But when we succeed, the media and the party often overlook or minimize our contributions.

I find all of the above confusing, demotivating, and politically disastrous.

Here are a few ways the inaction by our elected officials feeds burnout and leads to disengagement:

Unconditional surrender is not a strategy.

As a minority party, it is hard to accomplish much, but all too often, we have seen Democrats cave without extracting any concessions or accommodations. True, we are dealing with a bully who knows how to bully his own people. But we have yet to see congressional Democrats call that bully’s bluff and raise the stakes.

A recent example is congressional democrats being sucker punched on the budget agreement by after-the-fact rescissions of previous appropriations. See NPR, Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding aid. How can congressional Democrats possibly believe anything Republicans say, given that Trump is a liar with no bounds? Fool me once, comes to mind. And House Democrats did not even attempt to obstruct the rescission bill by using the Minority Leader’s ability to hold the floor indefinitely, running out the allotted time to pass the rescission bill? Even if that strategy had only delayed the passage of the bill, at least Democrats would have demonstrated that they are ready to up the ante.

Energy Exploitation

The grassroots is alternately treated like a tool to Get Out the Vote and like a parent with infinite resources to bankroll expenses. In most districts and campaigns, activists are shut out of conversations about strategy. Accumulated wisdom from hundreds of hours talking with voters is left untapped.

We have workable models for partnerships between candidates and the grassroots. For example, Rep Suozzi (NY-03) is a Democrat who won in a district that voted for Trump. He credits the grassroots with being a significant factor in his victory.

Tom Suozzi’s victory is a testament to a team approach that included a coordinator dedicated to working with grassroots groups. The coordinator should be a person with experience in the district and connections to grassroots groups. You can’t parachute in a candidate, and you shouldn’t parachute in an inexperienced person unfamiliar with the district to serve as the coordinator with grassroots groups.

It is also important for the coordinator to have a direct line of communication to the candidate. This position could even be held by a volunteer. These past eight years have taught the grassroots movement an enormous amount about the issues surrounding this level of teamwork. Grassroots leaders understand the sensitivities necessary for successful coordination between the candidate and grassroots organizations

Paralyzed by caution.

While Republicans advance their agenda with relentless determination, Democrats often appear paralyzed by caution. Staying in office seems to be the biggest motivator. We have seen cautious political calculations and performative gestures instead of meaningful action by our elected officials.

Conversations I have had with elected officials about the frustrations of their most committed volunteers go this way: “I am serving my constituents.” What service is their inaction providing? Or the other usual excuse, “We are a large tent and it is difficult to herd cats.”

Elected officials and party leaders must get over thinking that those are acceptable responses. The threat posed by Trump to our democracy seems to be a secondary concern. Given the attacks on every American’s rights, the Constitution, and the rule of law, those answers are simply unacceptable.

Pollsters and Pundits.

Democratic politicians and party leaders seem to pay more attention to pollsters and pundits than to their committed constituents. The reliance on pollsters who got it so wrong the last time is just baffling. I read the pundits who were so positive about our chances in 2024 and now ask, "Why would anyone think they are getting it right this time?”

Politicians should quit talking to the pundits who got it wrong last time and call a meeting where they listen to grassroots group leaders.

The Antidote to Burnout – Action

Without visible allies, even the most dedicated organizers begin to question why we are giving so much of ourselves. We are not asking for miracles, we are asking for comrades in the fight. True leaders know how to meet the moment. The unprecedented attacks on our country require unapologetic boots on the ground, clarity, and even theatrics (when appropriate). We need real action rather than performative politics.

Congress has taken an early vacation (and don't get me started on what if any moves Dems could have made to at least not have allowed this early dismissal to be a walk in the park for Johnson and the Republicans). With their calendars freed up, members of Congress should organize a trip to Alligator Alcatraz with all the elected Dems holding up signs protesting this atrocity. How about Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries holding up both ends of a banner that says, “This Is Not Permitted In The United States Of America.” Or, This Is Not What Makes America Great?”

Seeing collective action to expose atrocities at inhumane detention facilities would energize the base. The congressional recess is the perfect time to take bold steps outside of Washington, to take command with actions designed to insist on justice, equality, and democracy.

To keep up our determination, we in the grassroots need to see our party leaders develop a strategy and take action designed to stop the Republicans in their tracks.

Rekindling the Fire

We see our rights and privileges being taken from us every day. At this point, enough of the platitudes, we need to see bold actions. We call on public servants to meet the moment with vigilance, energy, and resilience. Every candidate claims to have those traits when they are running. Yet, if the current behavior of our elected officials is any indication, that “oomph” seems to have been parked outside the doors of Congress.

To re-energize volunteers’ spirits, leaders must demonstrate their commitment to action that is commensurate with the attacks on the foundational rights guaranteed by our Constitution. This is not a cry in the dark; just ask the prisoners in the work camps popping up across the country.

We have long since left the notion of potential threat; we are now solidly in erosion territory. We in the grassroots are presently fighting our fatigue, constantly giving each other support and encouragement, but that will soon have diminishing returns.

All of us, party officials, representatives, and candidates, need to stay in the fight because every time someone chooses to do so, it tips the balance in favor of democracy.

For more on these issues, subscribe to The Grassroots Connector.

Daily Dose of Perspective

The Pelican Nebula is an active star-forming region about 1,600 light years from Earth. The Pelican’s “neck” is in the center of the image, and the “bill” cuts diagonally downward from center left toward bottom right.

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Hi, all, and happy Friday!

It occurred to me today, when starting to write this edition, that trying to decide which one or two subjects to address in my daily call scripts feels, right now, like an absurd exercise. There is SO MUCH to be upset about. So while I will always send you a script I think is relevant, timely, and urgent, I encourage you to lean heavily on 5 Calls as well. There are just too many things happening, friends, for me to cover them all.

We should all be calling to get food into Gaza. We should all be calling to decry the outrageous Paramount Plus merger approval and the bribery that led to it. The Texas gerrymander is an outrage; so is MAGA’s coverup on Epstein. So is the fact that the Forest Service is understaffed for fire season by 27%.

I could go on, obviously. It’s a firestorm of awful, my friends. But remember how we’ll get through it: one day, one action, one step at a time.

Think of how you’d pedal a bike up a steep hill—not by staring up at the top of the incline and using the most difficult gear to try to get there quickly. No, you’d look down at your front tire, switch into the easiest gear, and take it one (grueling) turn of the pedals at a time. At least that’s how I do it!

When we do that long enough we always reach the crest of the hill. And so we will here.

We’re in the thick of it and it’s hard as hell. Let’s comfort ourselves, at least, by remembering that Trump is possibly having a worse time of it right now than we are. Good! Long may it last.

In the meantime, let’s get back to our pedals. The journey is long but we’re in excellent shape. We’ll get there eventually. And when we do how good it will feel to know that we didn’t give up, even when the going got tough.

THAT is what courage looks like. Thanks for having so much of it. Now let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here and/or use this list to find staffer contact info) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I understand that the White House just denied Gov. Wes Moore’s request for $16 million in FEMA assistance with no explanation. Just a day earlier, Trump officials approved disaster relief for Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia. This is outrageous. Disaster aid cannot be politicized this way—we are the United States. Trump needs to release aid to Maryland, California, and any other so-called blue states that need it now.

Also, I’m horrified that Trump dispatched his former personal criminal defense lawyer to meet in person —and in private—with Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is a known sex trafficker who also allegedly assaulted some of Epstein’s victims. To give her a special meeting with the president’s close associate is horrific and inappropriate. If some sort of deal comes out of it the American people will be livid. We want the truth about Epstein, not more coverups. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here and/or use this list to find staffer contact info) 📲 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I understand that the White House just denied Gov. Wes Moore’s request for $16 million in FEMA assistance with no explanation. Just a day earlier, Trump officials approved disaster relief for Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia. This is outrageous. Disaster aid cannot be politicized this way—we are the United States. Trump needs to release aid to Maryland, California, and any other so-called blue states that need it now.

Also, I’m horrified that Trump dispatched his former personal criminal defense lawyer to meet in person —and in private—with Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is a known sex trafficker who also allegedly assaulted some of Epstein’s victims. To give her a special meeting with the president’s close associate is horrific and inappropriate. If some sort of deal comes out of it the American people will be livid. We want the truth about Epstein, not more coverups. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

[H/T ]

In response to Georgia's planned removal of nearly 500,000 voters from the rolls, Fair Fight launched a new online tool to help Georgians check if they’re at risk of being purged and take steps to stay registered.

The tool offers clear guidance, background on the purge process, and a way for voters to report wrongful removal. Fair Fight is promoting it through texts, emails, ads, and social media to protect voter access ahead of key fall elections. But we can and must promote it, too! Your job? Send it to everyone you know in Georgia, post about it on social media, and get this info out there!

Get Smart! 📚

Reproductive freedom, voting rights, public education, and democracy itself are on the line in Virginia this November. Control of the Governor’s office, every House of Delegates seat, and thousands of local races will shape the state’s future.

Join COURIER on Tuesday, July 29 at 7:00 PM ET for a virtual conversation with Delegates Candi King and Michael Feggens and local Virginia creators as they discuss what’s resonating with voters, what’s at stake, and how to fight back against right-wing misinformation and low turnout.

With trusted reporting from Dogwood and their network of local creators, COURIER is mobilizing voters where traditional media fails. Learn how authentic, community-rooted content can help defend democracy in 2025 and beyond.

Please use this link to register.

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

Don’t let Trump bury the Epstein files!

Here’s Indivisible’s toolkit to help expose the cover-up.Indivisible has put together an explainer on the state of Trump’s Epstein cover-up, complete with action items and shareable social posts. The Trump regime wants to flex its power to sweep this story of abuse and corruption under the rug; we won’t let that happen.

Get in the Streets! 🪧

Join the March for Integrity on July 27 to get money out of politics. In D.C. and nationwide.

moneyoutofpolitics.org

Win Races! 🗳

Are you ready to make calls and talk to voters to ensure we elect Abigail Spanberger as Virginia's next Governor?

Join the Grassroots Dems HQ on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3PM PT/6PM ET, Fridays at 2pm PT/5pm ET, and Sundays at 1PM PT/4PM ET to call voters across the state!

RSVP HERE.

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

Amidst heat waves, storms, and floods actoss the country, it's never been more evident why we need environmental leadership. Join your fellow volunteers to make calls with Environmental Voter Project next Tuesday, July 29, at 12pm ET / 9am PT; and next Wednesday, July 30, at 6pm ET / 3pm PT. And there are tons more opportunities here.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PLWOBX to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

The Trump regime's failure to disburse congressionally-approved grant funding for Head Start programs is unacceptable. Head Start provides critical early childhood education and support services to nearly 800,000 low-income children, fostering healthy development and yielding long-term benefits. Eliminating or underfunding this program would devastate vulnerable families who rely on Head Start for high-quality education, childcare, food assistance, and developmental screenings.

The Government Accountability Office has confirmed the administration's actions are illegal. Congress must take immediate action to demand the release of all impounded Head Start funds. Robust funding for Head Start must also be included in the FY2026 appropriations bill. The well-being and education of our nation's children should be a paramount priority.

There is no better investment we can make than ensuring access to high-quality early childhood programs like Head Start for all families, regardless of income level. I urge you to stand firmly against any attempts to undermine or defund this vital program that strengthens communities and provides a foundation for children's lifelong success.

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

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