Harold Underdown

Every crisis is an opportunity. This is the moment for Dems on Capitol Hill to call a news conference and make clear: Not one dime to fund the federal government until Trump withdraws his unlawful orders and agrees not to send troops to occupy Democratic-run cities

Baker & Taylor Prepares Plan to Shut Down At a town hall yesterday, B&T owner and CEO Aman Kochar announced that following the termination of the ReaderLink acquisition deal, he does not see a path to keep the library wholesaler in business.

Yes, Baker and Taylor is shutting down. Not good news. The big question is how much they owe to publishers:

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Book cover: Sofia Valdez future prez

Book cover: all boys aren’t blue

Book cover: Pride puppy

Book cover: last night at the telegraph club

Librarians, booksellers, & educators— when you talk about banned books, please focus on the thousands of CONTEMPORARY books that are being banned right now.

For example….
#BannedBooksWeek

Finalists for 2025 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Announced buff.ly/1R5lVtV

Lessons in history... The differences and similarities between Lindsay and Mamdani, and the city of the 1960s and 2020s, are fascinating.

Courtesy of Prof Bagenstos, the statutory provision is 31 USC 1341(c)(2)

If this is true this is very bad news and both a sign of deep trouble in the library market and a hit to the finances of publishers who sell there (which is almost all publishers).

This is true for students too. Yes there are many factors impacting student reading, but working 30+ hours a week to be able to afford college is definitely one of them.

One of the more incredible stories out of LA this year has been how a taco review blog became the best on-the-ground coverage of ICE raids in the city.

They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.

‘Why Sergio?’ Deportation ends 36-year dream for celebrated Waco chef and family - The Waco Bridge Sergio Garcia and his wife, Sandra, spent 36 years building a reputation for regional Mexican cuisine in Waco. It ended when ICE came to call.

Great reporting and writing about a terrible situation.

“Deportations like Sergio’s — to fixtures of the community — are making people think, ‘This could be me next, or my favorite place next, or somebody who I talk to every day.’”

wacobridge.org/2025/10/06/d...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Devastating comparison between Lincoln's and Trump's actions in this analysis.

If this is true this is very bad news and both a sign of deep trouble in the library market and a hit to the finances of publishers who sell there (which is almost all publishers).

They’re Lying, Dividing, And Distracting. Don’t Believe The GOP’s Shutdown Hype “This isn’t about health care for undocumented immigrants—that’s already against the law," said Sen. Mark Warner. "It’s about the fact that Republicans are intentionally skyrocketing your premiums.”

Your friendly reminder that undoc workers actually _help subsidize federal programs for everybody else_.

In 2022 alone, they paid $25.7 billion into Social Security and $6.4 billion into Medicare—programs they can’t access due to their legal status👇🏽

americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/theyre-lyi...

Looking forward to Helena Haywoode Henry's launch event for her debut YA, LAST CHANCE LIVE!, on Tuesday night at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh NC. She'll be in conversation with Kwame Mbalia. @quailridgebooks.bsky.social @helenahenry.bsky.social @kwamembalia.bsky.social

As Matt says in this thread, Trump and Stephen Miller's core goal is to build an authoritarian state, and that's what's encountering such stiff resistance, both within civil society and in the country at large -->

Clearly these experts did not read @willbunch.bsky.social !

Brad Lander Wants New York City to Resist The NYC Comptroller talks ICE, Trump, Zohran, and Brooklyn.

If you live in New York City, you've got to start your day by reading this @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social x @bradlander.bsky.social conversation!

Ugh. Glad you won in the end.

Banned Books Week 2025 Resources to Educate, Inspire Action These resources and ideas from ALA, Unite Against Book Bans, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and others will help plan for Banned Books Week Oct. 5-11.

Banned Books Week 2025 Resources to Educate, Inspire Action
www.slj.com/story/Banned...

Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything? Yes. And You Can Too.

"People *are* doing things. You will meet those people when *you* start doing things."

A creepy-looking tree standing tall on a farm. It might have murderous intent! Image credit Eric Johnson via wikimedia commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Trees: a symbol of a healthy ecology, clean air, and a tranquil environment.

And also maybe responsible for a mass extinction.

1/7 ⚛️🧪

Judge blocks South Carolina from giving DOJ millions of voters' data Sep. 3, 2025

Judge's house on fire

Judge Diane Goodstein crossed the Trump administration last month. Yesterday, her home burned, her husband was injured and it's being investigated for arson.

www.postandcourier.com/news/crime/s...

The image is an X post by Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis ) from 19 hours ago, stating: "So let me get this straight: a Blackhawk helicopter and dozens of masked, armed federal agents roll up on a Chicago apartment building, cuff everyone—including kids—and then run checks for warrants and immigration status? What the hell is going on in this country? How is that not fascism?" The post includes a verified badge.

Narrator: This is fascism.

Imagine you're at a writers' retreat with the lads and you're all showing off a draft after dinner and then your mate's girlfriend goes here is the novel Frankenstein which I just wrote

As DOGE discovered, burrowing away in the US federal government...

please stop referring what people make as "content" unless what they're making is so inconsequential that literally no other label works better

call art art, music music, performance performance, dance dance... boiling everything down to a catch-all is insulting and devaluing

"To truly oppose a fascist Trump regime, we must declare ourselves anti-fascists. In light of Trump’s order, we must become outlaws."

Taxing the Rich and the Survival of Emmanuel Macron Today on TAP: A crucial political meeting in Paris today will force a choice between a popular wealth tax and a deepening political crisis.

A proposed 2% wealth tax in France would affect 1800 people, and bring in $20 billion a year. It’s overwhelmingly popular, but it seems that Macron would rather let the far-right take power than tax the super-rich. From Robert Kuttner: trib.al/Snv1jbR

Yep. A message that the D. party doesn't seem to hear.