Michael Sozan

CNN will soon be controlled by David Ellison. If democracy is to survive, a vibrant independent media ecosystem is critical.

My ask: cancel your Paramount/Warner subscriptions and sign up for as many pro-democracy outlets as you are able.

You can start with Democracy Docket: bit.ly/4qmEiFz

Oracle founder Larry Ellison & his son are set to own Paramount.

In addition to Paramount they'll own CNN, HBO, TikTok, CBS, and Warner Bros.

The media is being consolidated into the hands of a few Trump friendly billionaires.

A whistleblower told Congress that ICE told him to tell agents that they “could enter homes without a judicial warrant” — advice that violates the Fourth Amendment.

We obtained internal ICE training materials that support his testimony.
americanoversight.org/ice-records-...

Netflix Has Four Days To Counter Paramount’s ‘Superior’ Offer For Warner Bros. The Netflix merger agreement is still in effect—and the Warner Bros. Discovery board ‘continues to recommend” the Netflix deal—according to a statement. But it could crumble if Netflix doesn’t make a new offer.

The Netflix merger agreement is still in effect—and the Warner Bros. Discovery board ‘continues to recommend” the Netflix deal—according to a statement. But it could crumble if Netflix doesn’t make a new offer.

Important news below--and tremendous leadership from Sen. Booker.
Warner Bros. board & shareholders should be on notice that there are major financial & investigatory risks to merging with Paramount/Skydance -- on the federal and state level.

Good God.

As ex-DOJ officials slam FBI seizure of Fulton County ballots, judge sends worrying signal for future elections The officials said the DOJ recklessly failed to uphold constitutional through the raid.

🚨BREAKING: The DOJ recklessly failed to uphold constitutional rights and liberties by allowing the FBI to seize 2020 election records in Fulton County, Georgia, using a faulty search warrant application, former top department officials alleged Thursday. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

This is very bad. Handing CNN to Bari Weiss/David Ellison is very, very bad.

“The court is not aware of another occasion in the history of the US in which a federal court has had to threaten contempt—again & again & again—to force the US govt. to comply with court orders”

*210* violations of court orders in MN alone according to Reagan-appointed judge x.com/rparloff/sta...

“For the first time ever, the primary threat we are facing to our democracy is coming from inside the White House. It is coming from the executive branch of the government." @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social joined @ms.now and Ali Velshi to discuss the latest threats to undermine our elections.

THIS IS A CODE-RED ALERT.
If Trump tries this authoritarian move, it is a massive unconstitutional overreach, unsupported by credible evidence. We will need a massive pushback, including by Republican lawmakers and the US Supreme Court.

Thanks for your leadership.

Free Expression in the Shadow State

In the first post of our Reconstructing Free Expression series, @jamalgreene.bsky.social writes about the limits of courts as defenders of free expression and what kinds of institutions could bolster this work. knightcolumbia.org/blog/free-ex...

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns Vice President JD Vance has announced that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an agg...

This is deeply illegal, breaking the Medicaid statute and the ICA.

States are entitled to funding from federal govt to help pay for Medicaid. Providing less than the statute calls for is open and shut illegal, more akin to the impoundments Nixon lost unilaterally before SCOTUS than anything so far.

Rep. Ilhan Omar: "The president talked about protecting Americans, and I just had to remind him that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents."

Trump concluded his #SOTU address where he started: our nation’s 250th birthday.
Yet every day he is building an imperial presidency that hurts Americans and damages our experiment in democracy.

One of the many incomprehensible parts of the address. (And low energy)

The SAVE Act: Overview and Facts The SAVE Act would require all Americans to prove their citizenship with documentation unavailable to millions and upend the way every American citizen registers to vote.

Calling the SAVE Act voter ID is a trick. This bill would force Americans to show a passport or birth certificate in person to an election official.

❌ 146 million Americans don’t have a passport
❌ As many as 69 million women don’t have a birth certificate that matches their married name

This certainly does NOT lower the dangerous & toxic political stew that has led to multiple recent assassinations.

Actually, the Save America Act would allow Republicans to sow chaos in elections and cheat their way to victory. They themselves have said the quiet part aloud, admitting in recent days that this legislation would ensure their elections wins.

Trump absurdly says there’s almost no crime in Washington DC. That’s a lie. I live here. We still have crime. But we want to fight crime with local control & helpful federal resources, not the un-American use of Natl. Guard in our streets (with masked ICE agents tearing apart neighborhoods).

Trump calls Democrats “crazy” and says “they are destroying our country.”
Yet it’s Trump—in his role as president—who dangerously divides us, saying that he “hates” his political opponents, often spewing dangerous dog whistles.

Trump called for passage of the Save America Act.
But that legislation is bad for our nation — it would sow chaos & make it harder for eligible Americans to vote, so that Republicans can sabotage elections. Millions of people don’t have a passport or a birth certificate with their original name.

One thing Trump said that is accurate: Democrats are blocking funding for Dept of Homeland Security.
Yes, they are! Funding shouldn’t be restored until DHS and its personnel (including ICE) stop violating Americans’ fundamental rights and operating as Trump’s personal paramilitary.

Utterly absurd, as the Trump administration is the most crooked in US history, immeasurably hurting the American people in the process.

Trump has the gall to call out others on corruption — and says he will be waging a so-called “war on fraud.”
That’s the height of irony & absurdity, as Trump is overseeing the biggest corruption scams in US history, with unprecedented conflicts of interest.
#SOTU
@americanprogress.bsky.social

Trump accused Democrats of engaging in “dirty, rotten lies.” But it’s Trump who lies continually (as documented by the Wash. Post)—often to enrich himself and hold himself above the law. This tears apart our country.

BUT the power ultimately lies with the people—who are making their voices heard.

Trump is giving examples of how his policies are helping people. But everyday Americans overwhelmingly reject this, according to multiple polls.
They see Trump doing what authoritarians do: enrich themselves and engage in historic corruption at the people’s expense.

Trump invoked heroic US armed forces who have battled around the world.
But those service-members fought against authoritarians and for democracy. How tragic that Trump has now created an imperial presidency that hurts everyday Americans while he makes billions of dollars.

Trump says that “the state of our union is strong.” Sadly, it’s the opposite. He has divided us, governed as an authoritarian, and done almost nothing to help affordability issues for everyday people.