COURIER

The press steps up as Trump targets Chicago Local journalism is under siege, but still makes itself indispensable

"With local news in a severe tailspin for decades, there was a real question about whether Chicago’s media would meet the moment. But they have indeed," writes @markjacob.bsky.social in Stop The Presses.

How the GOP’s tax law teed up Democrats’ shutdown fight over Obamacare COURIER congressional correspondent Michael Jones does a deep dive into how the fight over making ACA tax credits permanent has become the central issue in Congress’s budget standoff.

COURIER's @michaeljones.bsky.social takes a look at how Republicans' refusal to come to the table on health care led to the ongoing government shutdown — read now:

The Trump administration is seeking to overturn laws banning the disgraced practice of gay conversion therapy.

Elizabeth Yusi, who oversees major criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia, has confided to co-workers that she sees no probable cause to believe James engaged in mortgage fraud, reports MSNBC.

The big dumb weather conspiracy Podcast Episode · Panic World · 10/01/2025 · 1h 11m

In the past 20+ years, though, we’ve seen a shift in how the right responds to climate catastrophes — including building out a robust selection of conspiracy theories from chemtrails to Flat Earth.

Listen now 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Democrats Are Losing YouTube. Here’s How We Fix It. Also inside: A look at digital ad spend in TX, VA, and NJ, how progressive creators are already proving there's a path forward, and more

"My YouTube channel was the beginning of my journey in electoral politics — and I can tell you firsthand: Democrats are losing the fight for attention on YouTube, and with it, the next generation of voters," writes @ethankelly.bsky.social for FWIW.

War and Rumors of War What is Pete Hegseth Up To?

"[T] he idea of a former Fox News anchor and recovered alcoholic running a world war is imaginable only in a film where Mike Judge remakes Dr. Strangelove as farce, as the last laugh on our Idiocratized nation," writes @ninaburleigh.bsky.social for American Freakshow.

YouTube video by TV I Say with Ashley Ray The Morals of Bonnie Blue, Scamanda & Unicorn Girl

TV I Say host @theashleyray.bsky.social talks with guests Ashley Lawrence, Camille Corbett, and Charlie Webster about podcast scammers, online girlbosses, and the murky intersections between — watch now:

The National Archives illegally released Rep. Mikie Sherrill's unredacted military personnel file, including her Social Security number, home address. The congresswoman is currently running as the Democratic candidate for Governor in New Jersey.

Maya Rupert: Let Democrats Be Democrats Why the Democratic Party Needs its Activist Base More than Ever

"The Democratic Party won’t be the Democratic Party without unflinching social justice activism. It’s part of our DNA ... And it also won’t win elections," writes Executive Vice President at Blue State @mayarupert.bsky.social.

Eric Trump will soon be hawking vodka under his dad’s old brand name.

White House tells federal agencies to prepare for mass firings as government shutdown looms.

Trump’s DOJ sends bizarre letter to FBI agent who sued Alex Jones over Sandy Hook defamation.

Former FBI Director James Comey will reportedly be indicted in the coming days.

The Trump-Epstein Files Why Did Jeff Fly in and Out of Istanbul 64 Times?

American Freakshow author, @ninaburleigh.bsky.social, uncovers a cache of previously unreported global Epstein travel records with a curious pattern — read now:

From watchdogs to lapdogs: How corporate media bent to Trump 2.0 COURIER congressional correspondent Michael Jones explores the growing pattern of private and public-sector actors aligning with the Trump administration’s retribution campaign to weaken free speech.

"[U]nder the terms of [Trump's] deal, [TikTok] would be largely controlled by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz—a trio of companies owned by Trump-aligned billionaires," writes @michaeljones.bsky.social for COURIER.

MTG is calling on Trump to pardon former Rep. George Santos. Santos is currently serving a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges.

As a government shutdown looms, Trump says he wont meet Dems to negotiate.

For Real Life? We All Live in the MAGA Cinematic Universe. Or else.

"Since Disney has opted to join the growing list of media conglomerates capitulating to the Trump regime, my family has opted to cancel our subscriptions to Disney+ and its sister platform Hulu," writes @melissaryan.bsky.social for Ctrl Alt Right Delete.

Can comedy help conquer fascism? Loudly mocking Trump now may help us avoid “whisper jokes” later

"[I]f we lose our sense of humor, we’ll lose our minds ... comedy is a great way to get people to pay attention to what’s happening, even if they’re determined to ignore the news," writes @markjacob.bsky.social in today's Stop the Presses.

Disney CEO Bob Iger asked Jimmy Kimmel to “tone down his political rhetoric,” according to Bloomberg. Kimmel reportedly won’t apologize, but he also doesn’t want to put his 200 show employees out of a job.

Democratic mayoral nominee in New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is set to announce that he's cancelling a televised town hall with WABC News planned for Sept. 25 in the wake of the network suspending comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show last week, reports amNewYork.

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Frank Arcoleo: They Cut the Deal, We Pay the Price Stop AI Data Centers

"AI data centers do not cover the collateral costs of their operations – we do. Everyday working class Pennsylvanians will pick up the tab every month, indefinitely," writes Frank Arcoleo.

The Fallout from Charlie Kirk’s Death Online Also Inside: Google Search spikes and unprecedented engagement for right-wing social media

Resonate's Eric Coffin-Gould and Carly Evans take a look at the social media fallout of the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the surge of engagement the right has seen online in this week's edition of FWIW.

Rep. Becca Balint: I believe Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza The suffering goes beyond the tragic loss of life inherent to war; at this point, the Netanyahu government’s actions appear to be a systematic, intentional destruction of the Palestinian people.

"Today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that," writes @balint.house.gov in her op-ed for COURIER.

Making America Worse, Again It’s Trump on Steroids, Except the Steroids Are Republican Operatives in Black Robes on the Supreme Court

"If only there were truth in advertising, the red hats would bear the hashtag #MAWA and the U.S. Supreme Court would be called the judicial junta that it has become," writes @thelisagraves.bsky.social for COURIER's Grave Injustice.

The Big Chill Using a Murder to Silence America

From COURIER's American Freakshow: "What is an America where dissent is criminal, where every person must first test a thought or an idea against how the religious right or the regime might respond?" - @ninaburleigh.bsky.social

A Texas State Rep is pushing for a statue of the late Charlie Kirk on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

Trump is reportedly suing The New York Times.