How Trump Is Making China Great Why we’re going to lose the trade war, and much more besides

How Trump Is Making China Great
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

www.facebook.com/share/p/17TF...

The Playbook to Defund U.S. Fascism The Ultimate Donor State Financial Compact

The Playbook to Defund U.S. Fascism
I am really intrigued by these ideas. "States and cities process billions in federal tax payments from their employees. These payments flow to Washington automatically, but automatic is not mandatory. "
open.substack.com/pub/cmarmita...

The Democratic Governors' Resistance Scorecard Who's fighting and who's bending the knee?

Tell your Governors and AG’s that if they care, they'll fight. If they don’t, then they need to step aside.

It’s Time for Americans to Start Talking About “Soft Secession” Blue states are finally learning what red states have known all along: you don’t need federal permission to govern.

It’s Time for Americans to Start Talking About “Soft Secession”
open.substack.com/pub/cmarmita...

MIT Student Condemned Genocide — So ADL Chief Said She Helped Cause Boulder Attack Jonathan Greenblatt accused commencement speakers of spreading antisemitic lies — and suggested they’re responsible for violent attacks.

MIT Student Condemned Genocide — So ADL Chief Said She Helped Cause Boulder Attack theintercept.com/2025/06/04/a...

The real cover-up is of Trump's disordered mental state Sanewashing didn't end with the 2024 campaign.

Needless to say, if Joe Biden posted anything close to that nuts, Sean Hannity and Jake Tapper would be roused from bed to anchor special coverage on their networks. But for Trump, this level of compete and utter batshittery is just another Saturday night.
www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-cogn...

A 23-Year-Old Crypto Bro Is Now Vetoing NSF Grants While Staring At His Water Bottle Picture this: You’re a researcher who has spent years developing a grant proposal, gone through layers of expert review, and received National Science Foundation (NSF) approval. Then some kid…

True story: "A 23-Year-Old Crypto Bro Is Now Vetoing NSF Grants While Staring At His Water Bottle" www.techdirt.com/2025/06/02/a...

Israeli Soldiers Open Fire Near Gaza Aid Site. Gaza Officials Say 27 Are Killed.

It just doesn't stop.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/w...

5/ And the Democrats will themselves still be divided. Progressive Democrats may gain some influence and som seats in Congress, but the power of money in politics, and the ability of PACs to buy politicians won't go away.
Thoughts?

4/ But that might be the wrong way of thinking about it. What if a lot of the damage is irreparable - the damage to our public health system, our efforts to combat climate change, our economy, our progress on racial and social justice, , etc? America will be sicker, poorer and more divided.

3/ There will be an election in 2026, and the Democrats will regain control of the House, and maybe even the Senate, and everything that got broken will get fixed - and maybe even built back better.

2/ The binary way of thinking about this is to think that if Trump succeeds, that will be a catastrophe, but if he fails, and the guardrails of democracy hold up, then we are going to be okay.

1/ This is an experiment. I am just thinking aloud here, but I wonder if any of my friends have any thoughts along similar lines, or want to have a conversation:
I have been thinking about what happens if Trump succeeds in consolidating power.

The GOP "Big Beautiful" budget achieved its goal: tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk. How did they afford it? By slashing benefits, gutting social programs, and raising taxes on the working class. Call (202) 224-3121 to tell your Rep this bill is bullshit.

In Private, Some Israeli Officers Admit That Gaza Is on the Brink of Starvation

This is genocide.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/w...

Opinion | We Study Fascism. And We’re Leaving the U.S.

Powerful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/o...

Meanwhile (ICYMI), the Strib *did* print a letter from a Frey supporter basically saying “thank you for all the fraud: bsky.app/profile/dbra...

1/ The US government has ordered the Swedish city of Stockholm to end its diversity, inclusivity and equality (DEI) programmes within 10 days. The city authorities say the demand is "bizarre" and they won't be complying. ⬇️

Embattled Voice of America to use newsfeed from hard-right network One America News will now provide news and video to government-funded organization

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Opinion | This Is the Moment of Moral Reckoning in Gaza

This is genocide.
"Israel is now openly exploiting aid as a tool of war; senior Israeli officials have declared what effectively is the intent to use starvation as a tactic to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages — a clear violation of international law."
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/o...

Palestinian activist’s home ‘raided’ by Israeli soldiers for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary Issa Amro shares videos of confrontations with balaclava-clad military who he claims ‘want revenge’ after the BBC film The Settlers

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

We’ve never seen a more error-prone, incompetent presidency | Moustafa Bayoumi In their rush to implement a barely concealed authoritarian agenda, this administration is producing a litany of blunders, gaffes and slip-ups

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
All things considered, maybe this isn't entirely a bad thing...

The Republican House Budget Resolution's Potential $880 Billion in Medicaid Cuts by Congressional District The Republican House budget resolution would cost congressional districts an average of $2 billion each and could eliminate coverage for 15.9 million people.

Just looked it up: The proposed Republican Medicare cuts would eliminate 21,000 people's health care who live in Tom Emmer's district. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

Mark Zuckerberg Says Social Media Is Over During testimony at Meta’s antitrust trial, the Facebook founder’s argument was, in so many words, that platforms like his are not what they used to be.

Facebook isn't what it used to be. "The people we follow and the messages they post increasingly feel like needles in a digital haystack." But more than ever, we need a social media platform that connects us. Is Bluesky the answer? Can custom feeds connect us?.

www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...?

‘Morally repugnant’: Brazilian workers sue coffee supplier to Starbucks over ‘slavery-like conditions’ Brazil has been the world’s leading coffee producer due to the forced labour of enslaved Africans and Afro-Brazilians

Jeremy Iggers
Another reason to skip Starbucks:
"Brazil has been the world’s leading coffee producer due to the forced labour of enslaved Africans and Afro-Brazilians."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Let’s talk about a civic uprising What does that mean? How do we get there?

The increased media attention to anti-Trump protests signifies a growing recognition that we are in a period of civic unrest – that the public rejection of the Trump/Musk agenda is going to be a big part of the American story in the coming months. www.headsupnews.org/p/lets-talk-...

Opinion | Mexico Is Becoming a Beacon (Gift Article) The country can take up welcoming values the United States has abandoned.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/o...
The new land of opportunity.

The CPAC crowd loves Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Steve Bannon calls Hungary an inspiration to the world. But the reality is pretty grim. And it could be our future.
www.anneapplebaum.com/2025/03/31/a...

Anti-Trump protesters in the US might look to the Czech Republic: ‘We are an example’ Massive, sustained protests led to the 2021 downfall of billionaire oligarch Andrej Babiš, dubbed ‘the Czech Trump’

My mother would be proud. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...