Category: Miscellany

Another in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with interesting reading / viewing material.

CBS decided to “comply in advance” to a suggested FCC rules change. So, they censored Stephen Colbert, banning him from broadcasting an interview with a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate — but the Streisand effect kicked in, and things… got lively. You can read all about it, as seen by Dan Rather / AP News / Variety / The Atlantic / Adam Kinzinger / Mike Nellis / Jay Kuo (with embedded video) / Wonkette / Democracy Docket / Terry Moran.

Meanwhile, here’s the interview (on YouTube) that CBS wouldn’t allow Colbert to air.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem managed to stir up a hornets’ nest online (not much coverage in the corporate media) when she discussed the upcoming midterms — stating that “we’ve been proactive to make sure that we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders…” Sounds like election subversion to me, and to some other folks too.

This is a bit of an oldie — but maybe it counts since I just ran across it? “Adam Ruins Everything” produced this educational summary of the disturbing history of the suburbs (it has so much impact on modern life).

Looking for an issue to engage with? Obviously, there are so many to choose from that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some straightforward ones:

• The SAVE Act — it’s voter suppression dressed up as voter protection (read more here). Call Senator Hickenlooper’s and Bennet’s offices and tell them to vote NO on any version of this bill.
  
• It’s not too late to save NCAR, and it’s important! Submit feedback to the National Science Foundation by March 13, 2026. In 1–2 pages, tell NSF that you support NCAR and that its work must continue. Even if you’re not a scientist, your voice matters — our future depends on this research.  Submit to: NSF_NCAR@nsf.gov. You can also call your U.S. Senators and House Representative and urge them to join Rep. Joe Neguse’s bipartisan effort to keep NCAR operating.
  
• Resist and Unsubscribe — a new initiative to push back against the tech companies that have an outsized influence on the economy and our president. The Bulwark goes a bit broader in their explanation of this effort.
  
• Join the Colorado Bridge Trolls — looks like a fun way to make a point!

Another in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with interesting reading / viewing material.

A new take on an existing idea — Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher explain how everyday Americans can push back against government overreach—by focusing on the economic decisions they make each day.

Epstein, Epstein, Epstein! It’s been… quite a week. At the very least, Pam Bondi put on quite the show when she was supposed to answer questions from Congress. Even MAGA figures are now (figuratively, at least) calling for her head. Jen Rubin discusses what Trump knew and when he knew it.

Meanwhile, in temporarily shutdown DHS-land, NBC News lays out the damages caused by ICE’s use of “less lethal” munitions on protesters. Of course, they’re still misusing regular ammo — this time, at least, less fatally than evidenced by the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

On the bright side, Chris Bowers spells out 3 large Trump walk-backs (and one legal defeat) that we saw this week.

If you’re looking for a way to help out, the public comment period is now open for the White House ballroom proposal — time to type!

Another in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with interesting reading / viewing material.

In the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a unique legal entity with characteristics unlike any other, which then allow its powers to be abused unlike any other. Lawyers have long seen ICE as a threat to American democracy, and for good reason. An immigration attorney explains Why Lawyers Want to Abolish ICE (YouTube, 35 minutes). Meanwhile, Wired magazine explains how to film ICE and CBP as safely as possible while still having an impact.

Democratic members of the House and Senate Oversight Committees held a joint hearing on the violence and murder that have been inflicted on Americans by Homeland Security. The forum was convened by the ranking Democratic members of both committees, and perhaps because of that, no Republican members of Congress bothered to attend. Still, the testimony was compelling and more than a little chilling.

It’s getting obvious that the U.S. has a media problem. But are you sure you can spot media manipulation? Shane Snow has tips for you. Jeff Bezos’ handling of the Washington Post is also instructive, as is Bari Weiss’ handling of CBS News.

Need a mood boost? I’d suggest you read “If They Call Me a Domestic Terrorist,” a timely poem by Michael F. Dubois. Meanwhile, if you were waffling on the effectiveness of protest, the folks behind Indivisible have a thing or two to say on the subject.

Did you think the Epstein files mess was all about politicians? Guess again, lots of big name sports figures are in the files as well. But of course, Trump and his cronies are all over them, as is (of course) Elon Musk.

Greg Dobbs puts Trumpism in perspective as a cult of personality.

Another in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with miscellaneous interesting reading / viewing material.

Earlier this week, I stumbled across the Albert Einstein Institution online — “a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Gene Sharp in 1983 to advance the study and use of strategic nonviolent action…” The site has an awesome online library (click on the “Resources” tab) of material, great stuff for people looking for additional ways to push back against authoritarianism. A 2-page flyer, “198 Methods of Nonviolent Action,” is the sort of thing that you can print out and hang on a wall for inspiration.

In a similar vein, the ICNC (International Center on Nonviolent Conflict) hosts an excellent monograph by Michael A. Beer — Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century.

The Justice Department released a massive pile of Epstein documents on January 29 — a preliminary review reveals some very ugly stuff.

Wonkette hosts an excellent discussion of the mental gymnastics displayed by right wingers attempting to wrap their heads about women protesting against ICE.

The 50501 Friday Briefing for 1/30/2026 hosts its own excellent collection of reading material.

The first in a (hopefully) weekly series of posts with miscellaneous interesting reading / viewing material.

Attorney General Phil Weiser announced an update to the Colorado Department of Law’s public complaint filing system, adding a new section for Coloradans to report federal agent misconduct. Could come in handy, what with ICE skulking around.

If you’re feeling down, take heart! Ruth Ben-Ghiat feels we’re living in a global wave of protest — take a few minutes to read her essay on this.

Speaking of protests, have you ever heard the story of the one mass public demonstration by Germans in the Third Reich against the deportation of Jews? It’s called the Rosenstrasse protest, and it led to the release of 1,800 Berlin Jews, many of whom survived the war.

Do you like numbers? FactCheck.org has published a look at the statistics of Trump’s second term (so far).

The current administration recently completed the process of extracting the U.S. from the World Health Organization. Morgan McSweeney, PhD (a.k.a. “Dr. Noc”) explains the consequences of this decision, and why they won’t show up until they’re really impactful.

Trump: What’s the Deal? A full (82 minutes long) documentary on the man, commissioned in 1988 by Leonard Stern, and released in 1991. Trump threatened to sue any broadcaster or distributor that took on the film — so it was screened only twice & subsequently suppressed.

It’s well worth spending half an hour to watch Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Meanwhile, Paul Krugman has a few things to say on Trump’s behavior at Davos.

Fascism! A fact sheet produced by the U. S. Army in 1945, it’s still a very good summary of the subject.

If you’re as upset as I am with recent ICE actions in Minneapolis, it’s time for us all to Stand With Minnesota.

That is, if you have a few million dollars to spend.

While everybody’s been distracted by Trump’s record-length falsehood-stuffed speech to Congress, most of the national media has missed some recent reporting by Wired. The bottom line is that Trump is hosting (or, at least, starring at) fund raising events — not that these are campaign fund raisers, obviously. No, the money’s supposedly being raised for his future presidential library — that, for a man who famously does not read.

The price of admission is a bit steep, though. If you want a private dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, it’ll set you back a cool $5 million. But maybe you’re a wanna-be tycoon of more-limited means — a “group setting” dinner will set you back a mere $1 million.

Not that this is influence peddling, of course.

The original Wired article is here (behind paywall), or here (via 12ft.io).