Meagan Smith, PhD

When a Superpower Declines, Shared Reality Dissolves When the Soviet Union fell, Russians lost their sense of past and future at once. Collective hallucinations flourished in the void. In the United States, our reality is now disintegrating in a similar way.

When the Soviet Union fell, Russians lost their sense of past and future at once. Collective hallucinations flourished in the void.

In the United States, our reality is now disintegrating in a similar way.

A "banned books bingo card" shows 24 banned books with the PEN America logo at the center. Readers are asked to consider donating $5 to PEN America for each of the books they've read.

Anyone who's read George Orwell knows #CensorshipIsSo1984.

This #BannedBooksWeek, we're asking you to do more than #ReadBannedBooks.

Could we suggest a $5 donation to PEN America for every one of the books you've read on our "Banned Books Bingo Card"?

Please donate now at: pen.org/2025-support...

“Some things are right and some things are wrong. ... Eternally so, absolutely so.” - MLK Jr.

#RadioFreeAmerica

photo of Google News search results for Amazon Prime Day (the second this year)

twice a year the entire U.S. press becomes a marketing extension of a single billionaire-owned retailer, and nobody in any position of editorial power thinks it's weird or gross

Books Are For Everyone: A Banned Books Week Reading List Banned Books Week—October 5th to 11th—is an annual celebration of the freedom to read, and the aspiration that books should be accessible to all. In recognition of Banned Books Week 2025, Haymarket is...

For #BannedBooksWeek, we’re highlighting the unjust censorship of political books which impacts countless incarcerated readers each year.

For every book purchased from this reading list, we will be sending a book to someone who is incarcerated.

As long as the loudest folks on the left insist tone-policing, compromise on human rights, and acquiescence are our only options for a unified country, they will continue to lose the faith of the marginalized. And even when they win, they’ll just be waiting to lose the same way again.

Latest PEN America Report Finds “Disturbing Normalization” of Book Bans in Public Schools In a new report documenting public school book bans over the 2024-2025 school year, PEN America cites alarming censorship pressures on school districts including: new federal efforts to restrict…

Timed to coincide with the upcoming Banned Books Week and Let Freedom Read Day, October 5–11, PEN America has released its annual report on censorship in public schools.

Italian Unions Lead General Strike Demanding End to Israel's Assault on Gaza In Italy, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of dozens of cities Monday as Italian labor unions led a nationwide 24-hour general strike to demand an end to Israel's assault on Gaza.

Italian Unions Lead General Strike Demanding End to Israel’s Assault on Gaza

Jimmy Kimmel Returns: ABC Ends Suspension Starting Tuesday Jimmy Kimmel will return to late night on Tuesday

"Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that."

Looking forward to seeing Jimmy back on the air.

The beds in your home are always pristinely made and I just really admire that. Especially in this, the year of our lord, 2025. Well done, business cat and staff!

This is the playbook, folks.

If you're not paying attention now and doing something about it, then you're going to have to sit down the rest of your life because democracy is being taken away.

Do not be quiet in this moment.

Does this dude just have them fire up that helicopter every day so that he can do his “impromptu” press conference with the extremely noisy performance of being busy and important in the background? Why is he ALWAYS walking to that ridiculous helicopter?

So proud to be an AU alum today!

What should you do when you’re stopped by the police? DC’s young people break down your rights when interacting with law enforcement.

Remember — knowing your rights is a great first step, asserting them is even better.

Learn more from @freedcproject.bsky.social: freedcproject.org/rights

LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA

ICE is increasing its presence in Massachusetts.

Here's a great resource to help keep communities safe:

www.lucemass.org

Know & Exercise Your Rights Flyer provided by the Illinois Immigration Information Hub. 1. Remain Calm. 2. You have the right to deny entry without a valid warrant. 3. You have the right to remain silent. 4. You have the right to speak with an attorney. 5. You have the right to not sign anything. For more information, head to: https://www.illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/

Know & Exercise Your Rights Flyer provided by the Illinois Immigration Information Hub. For more information, head to: https://www.illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/

Know your rights, Illinois.

Stay safe and stay informed.

This. 👇👇👇

JB Pritzker: "Any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question: Once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next?”

Wu to Florida Woman: Bring it.

How the FBI Works With Local Law Enforcement to Respond to Violent Crime Chicago police data shows overall violent crime in the city is down by about 22% in the first half of the year compared to 2024. There have also been 31% fewer homicides and 36% fewer shootings betwee...

It's extraordinary how Trump is refusing to coordinate with Illinois leaders.

If he cared about fighting crime, he would double down on efforts like our FBI partnership — not putting our own troops on American city streets.

Union membership means higher wages, better benefits and a more secure retirement for America’s workers.

If we are going to save the middle class, we have got to expand union organizing in this country.

If House Republicans try to jam through a partisan CR without any input from Democratic members of Congress, and they suddenly find that they don’t have the votes they need from our caucus to fund the government?

Well then, THAT is a Republican shutdown.

I'm aware that the President likes to go on television and beg me to call him to ask for troops.

I find it strange, as Chicago doesn't want troops.

I also have experience asking him for assistance – just to have the rug pulled up from underneath me when execution meets reality.

I’ve been doing this for like 3 years with a particular publishing house. I’m waiting for either a job offer or a restraining order. At this point I’d take either one as a win!

Political theater.

It’s written in Cyrillic letters but it’s all English words transliterated phonetically into Cyrillic letters. It’s a little odd. Not sure how much Russian language comprehension we can assume.

726,000 YEARS.

General Milley Monday: On the same day Trump said "A lot of people are saying maybe we'd like a dictator," here's a reminder from General Mark Milley that "we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator." The oath is to the Constitution.

Share this widely.

Happy Independence Day to friends in Ukraine!

REPEAT IT!!!!! Until you understand it.