Will Friedman

Your Prime Day reminder that Amazon...

-Provides cloud services that help fuel ICE's deportation machine
-Donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund
-Scrapped plans to display tariff costs after pressure from Trump
-Shelled out $40M for a documentary about Melania Trump

Important speech on the essential task of creating the conditions that make democratic conversation and judgment possible.

Opinion | What Charlie Kirk Understood That Democrats Need to Learn

Useful reflections and suggestions on engaging young men in public life.

What Charlie Kirk Understood That Democrats Need to Learn www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/o...

Thank you British Resistance!

Thrilled to see growing consensus that Dems must step up in the Continuing Resolution fight. Key to doing so? Refuse to frame this as "shutting down government." Instead, call it what it is - refusing to be an accomplice to turning the government into a weapon against the American people.

Opinion | Stop Acting Like This Is Normal

The basic point here by @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social is this: If the Democrats' plan is to keep playing dead, they need new leadership. Many of us concluded this long ago, but the argument is strongly made if anyone still needs convincing.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

What memo is this, @gbbranstetter.bsky.social?

Issue One praises introduction of bipartisan stock trading ban in the House - Issue One In reaction to today’s introduction of the Restore Trust in Congress Act, bipartisan legislation that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks while in office, representatives from Issue One’...

Read our statement released in response to the introduction of the Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would put an end to the corrupt practice that Americans across the political spectrum favor banning: issueone.org/press/introd...

I expected the hardliners in the early days of the administration to try to slow walk people from "why do we need to know about Harriet Tubman?" to "how bad is extrajudicial killing really?" but they have opened the bidding at "how bad is cancer really?"

Opinion | Politicians Are Polarized. American Voters, Not So Much.

In 2018 I spearheaded the still-active Hidden Common Ground project (tinyurl.com/3j2ss4bb) to explore & amplify solutions that cut across partisanship/race/age. This new research adds fresh insights, potentially useful for building coalitions to strengthen #democracy. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/o...

Missing the forest for the trees, big time. Sure, some of these transparent attempts to punish current critics & intimidate potential ones might uncover a minor offense or fall apart in court. That has nothing meaningful to do with what these actions are really about & their threat to the nation.

The 'Mozart of Math' rarely speaks about politics. The wide-ranging cuts to science funding made him change that. UCLA's Terence Tao called the Trump administration's actions an "existential threat" to academic research in the U.S.

"Tao is one of the most prominent mathematicians and academics to publicly oppose the administration’s actions, calling them an “existential threat” to his field, and academic science, more broadly. He said public advocacy is a priority over his research, for now."

www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...

The Case for Civic Abundance Rebuilding state capacity requires a renaissance of civic participation that abundance advocates too often view as an obstacle.

My attempt to encourage people to ride the abundance wave in a more useful direction than what you’re seeing:

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/11/t...

College students are bombarded by misinformation, so this professor taught them fact-checking 101 − here’s what happened Just 2½ hours of online instruction made students a lot better at identifying misinformation on YouTube and TikTok.

With misinformation nearly everywhere, one professor tested a simple fix of 150 minutes of fact-checking homework – and it worked, boosting the students’ ability to spot misinformation by nearly 20%.

📣 Call for Papers- International Conference 📣 We’re excited to announce our upcoming conference: "Democracy Reimagined: Advancing Democratic Resilience and Renewal"

🗓 17–18 November 2025
📍 University of Canberra, Australia
📥 Abstracts due by 8 August 2025

Details 👇

New Book Examines Seattle Democracy Voucher Program’s Success An interview with Dr. Jen Heerwig, co-author of a book researching how Seattle's pioneering program has helped boost voter participation and local representation

Seattle voters just approved a renewal of the city's pioneering Democracy Voucher program, with 56% in favor.

A new book from @drjenh.bsky.social found that the program, created to counter Big Money in elections, has increased local donor participation and diversified Seattle's candidate pool.

Interesting experiment.

This! The right has been so good at giving its constituents a role — something to do — beyond voting. If the left (or whatever is the opposition to Trumpism) wants to compete, it needs to be *participatory* — ie, it needs to create opportunities for action in both the digital and physical worlds.

Yes.
And the Democratic leadership SHOULD be working to get this voter with a passionate opinion about the DMV to have a passionate opinion about Comcast and Big Cable — and link that to Republican policies.

How SpaceX avoids paying taxes Despite receiving billions of dollars in federal contracts and subsidies, SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company, has reportedly taken advantage of a benefit from President Trump's first ter...

Tesla paid $0 in taxes in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024 despite reporting $6.7B in profit.

SpaceX has likely paid little to no federal income taxes since 2002.

Elon Musk’s net worth is $364B.

Our tax laws are written to benefit billionaires.
www.muskwatch.com/p/how-spacex...

We need more local leaders like @mayorwu.boston.gov, standing up and speaking out for democracy. Great job here of getting ahead of the issue and setting the terms of the debate for what's likely coming Boston's way soon. Other mayors and governors should take note.

Perfect

Introducing The Renovator, a new civic media platform! Led by Danielle Allen, author of "Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality," AAA&S report "Our Common Purpose:Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century," and "Justice By Means of Democracy"

Opinion | I’m a Red-State Mayor Who Knows the Value of Diversity

A Republican mayor shows what democratic integrity looks like: "We are now investing in all the quadrants of the city and in initiatives that support residents at all socioeconomic levels. We are building a civil rights center to better tell our city’s journey..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/o...

The Bad Math Driving Democratic Infighting Everyone just chill the f*** out!

The fratricidal battles among Dems over moderation vs left populism are silly. So are the debates over obscure statistical measures like WAR. @brianbeutler.bsky.social makes a persuasive argument here for reform and renewal in the Democratic party. www.offmessage.net/p/the-bad-ma...

Mail Voting Accuracy Election officials use many checks to ensure mail voting is secure against widespread fraud and tampering.

The Brennan Center research shows that voting in person, early voting, and mail voting are accurate and secure. It’s paramount to ensure that every eligible citizen has the freedom to vote. bit.ly/4fLDlDa

The Case for Civic Abundance  | Washington Monthly Rebuilding state capacity requires a renaissance of civic participation that abundance advocates too often view as an obstacle.

💯, and I think an "abundance agenda" (plentiful public goods) can be a big part of the answer IF it is complemented by a robust CIVIC abundance agenda. I make this case below. While I don't connect it Dem Party politics, the implication is pretty clear.
washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/11/t...

When I say Trump's shit polling numbers don't matter a whole lot, this is what I mean. It's not enough that the GOP is perceived as "bad." The Democrats also need to be perceived as "good."

The Case for Civic Abundance  | Washington Monthly Rebuilding state capacity requires a renaissance of civic participation that abundance advocates too often view as an obstacle.

Here I argue that strong state capacity must be complemented by robust CIVIC capacity (which is much more than civic tech & way different than what DOGE was about) if we're to achieve the vision @ezraklein.bsky.social & other abundance advocates rightly seek.

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/11/t...