Chris Persky

Hell of a legacy you’re building there, dummy. It doesn’t matter how many times you plaster your name on buildings and ballrooms in tacky gold letters. Your grave will be one big beautiful public urinal.

The U.S. is now engulfed in what could be another forever war in Iran. Here’s a warning from 10 years ago that sadly feels too relevant right now.

"The Peace President." [Cartoon by Benjamin Slyngstad]

Be aware of which political party wants the American people to vote and will protect our collective right to do so…and which political party wants to restrict that right so that they may remain in power indefinitely.

The difference could not be clearer than at the present moment.

If you encounter a paywall, use this archival link: archive.ph/iwdTn

The State of the Union Revealed a Sad Reality Donald Trump misused the annual presidential tradition in ways so radical as to call the ritual itself into question.

"... the next speaker could do everyone a favor with a letter that begins: “Dear Mr. President, the time has come for your State of the Union message. Please send it in writing in the enclosed envelope. Congress will give it all the attention it deserves." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger questions whether Americans feel the ‘golden age’ Trump describes Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger offered a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s depiction of the nation as being in a “golden age” during his State of the Union address.

He “has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans.” He seeks to “pit us against one another” while “enriching himself, his family, his friends.”
apnews.com/article/stat...

"Before the United States takes the next step, whether toward a deal or war, it should answer a basic question: What exactly has changed since June that justifies a more extreme course of action now? Until that question is addressed, the case for urgency, and for war, does not add up."

If you encounter a paywall, use this archival link: archive.ph/eR9Xu

America Doesn’t Need a Deal or a War With Iran Why the rush, when Washington has all the leverage?

"The United States does not need a comprehensive deal with Iran now, and may be better off without one for the time being."
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

There’s only 1 person in Congress who doesn’t trade stocks, doesn’t take corporate PAC money, and has a public schedule. That’s me. And it should be the standard.

Resist and Unsubscribe

"The most radical action in a capitalist society is non-participation". Scott Galloway
www.resistandunsubscribe.com

I love Frank. I would add "income disparity" to his list.

"I have a right under the First Amendment to criticize you without fear of the consequences. It’s my government, Madam Secretary. You see the possessive pronoun I’m using? My government. It’s your government because you’re a citizen of the United States, not because you’re a government official."

New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting The “show your papers” requirement is an attack on the freedom to vote.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say Five European countries say Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with a rare toxin linked to poison dart frogs.

apnews.com/article/russ...

Yes.

@pollyboyercalaba.bsky.social

Full poem:
tothineownselfbetrue.ca/2019/11/16/n...

The last verse of Hannah’s aging poet-grandfather in the play, Night of the Iguana, by Tennessee Williams:
"O Courage, could you not as well
Select a second place to dwell,
Not only in that golden tree
But in the frightened heart of me?"

If you encounter a paywall, use this archival link: archive.ph/iST5W

This Is How a Child Dies of Measles When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak

This story is based on extensive reporting and interviews with physicians, including those who have cared directly for patients with measles.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

"We compiled and reviewed every case we could find of agents holding citizens against their will, whether during immigration raids or protests. While the tally is almost certainly incomplete, we found more than 170 such incidents."
www.propublica.org/article/immi...