Alexander Verbeek

Why Trump’s Allies Are Terrified of Tomorrow’s Protests Lessons from European resistance movements on the power of showing up when democracy needs you most

History shows peaceful resistance works.

#NoKingsDay

The Voice Assistant Features You Already Have (But Never Use) Plus: How to listen to Substack newsletters, Meta’s new privacy controls, how to turn your phone into a magnifying glass when you forgot your reading glasses

Your phone's voice assistant can handle dozens of tasks, but most people only ask about the weather.
Discover commands that save time daily
+ Meta's new privacy features
+ turn your phone into a magnifying glass

The One Setting That Filters Spam Texts on Your Smartphone Before You See Them Plus: How to upgrade your Substack subscriptions, and enhancing photos with simple editing

Spam texts are more dangerous than spam calls; one click can compromise your accounts.
Your phone has hidden filters that block these threats automatically, but you need to turn them on.
Here's the 5-minute setup.

Trump’s “American Hero,” Columbus, Was Jailed for Cruelty: Why This Pattern Matters Plus: 23,000 years of hidden American history, Dogs’ gambling addiction, and the science of piano mastery

Trump just made Columbus—a man jailed for brutality—an "American hero." The pattern is clear and worrying.

Plus: hidden American history going back 23,000 years, addicted dogs, and the secret touch of piano masters.

Why Some Dreams Take Longer Than a Lifetime My father knew I’d outgrow my treehouse fantasy

Why some dreams take longer than a lifetime.

What Turned Up This Week: Einstein’s $1 Million Lost Violin, Nazi-Looted Art in Argentina, and Desert Lions Hunting on Namibian Beaches Plus: Giant tortoise conservation wins, spider vision explained, and New York artists defying censorship

🎻 Einstein's violin hidden from Nazis for 70 years just sold for over $1 million.

🖼️ A Dutch retiree's attic discovery exposed Nazi-looted art in Argentina.

🦁 And desert lions are now hunting seals on Namibian beaches.

And seven more good news stories in today’s Daybreak Notes & Beans:

A Perfect Sunday Morning, Ocean-Distant from American Cruelty and Chaos Reflections on autumn light, beauty, and what Sunday morning should mean

While Americans doom-scroll through news of ICE raids and political chaos, I spent Sunday morning in Oslo watching families enjoy autumn light. This is what democracy used to promise. A reflection on distance and gratitude.

The Controversy Around María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize A deeper look at the Venezuelan opposition leader who praised both her people and Donald Trump

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner dedicated her award to both the Venezuelan people and Donald Trump. She supports the U.S. naval buildup while advocating democracy. The controversy reveals how complex fighting dictatorship can be.

What Else Went Right on the Day Democracy Won the Nobel Peace Prize Plus: Ten stories of discovery, courage, and joy from Roman tombstones to starling ballets

On the day democracy won the Nobel Prize, here's what else went right in the world:

The Autocorrect Settings That Stop Your Phone From ‘Fixing’ Words You Typed Correctly Plus: Gboard keyboard app that fixes most autocorrect problems, and how to edit Substack comments before anyone sees your typos

Autocorrect just changed 'meeting' to 'meting' again. Your phone has settings to stop this nonsense. Turn it off, teach it your words, or switch to Gboard for better corrections. Plus: fix Substack typos in 5 minutes.

The Nobel Committee’s Brilliant Answer to Donald Trump María Corina Machado’s Nobel Prize sends a clear message about democracy under siege

Trump lobbied worldwide to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

This morning, the Committee gave it to someone whose life's work stands against everything he represents.

The Nobel Committee’s Brilliant Answer to Donald Trump María Corina Machado’s Nobel Prize sends a clear message about democracy under siege

Trump lobbied worldwide to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This morning, the Committee gave it to someone whose life's work stands against everything he represents.

And the Nobel Goes (not) to... Plus: Mice performing CPR, medieval sandals in vulture nests, and 8,000 teapots

While Oslo speculates on tomorrow’s Peace Prize winner (spoiler: not Trump), discover good news:
🏅 this week’s Nobel laureates
🐁 mice performing first aid techniques
🩴 and medieval sandals preserved in vulture nests for 600 years.

The Focus Mode That Stops Your Phone From Interrupting You All Day Set it up once in 10 minutes, then your phone automatically knows when to stay quiet. Plus: distraction-free Substack reading and a focus app that works

Your phone interrupts you constantly, but it doesn't have to because the focus mode can silence distractions automatically.
Set it up once in 10 minutes.
Read the guide:

Promoting peace through a prize Each year a committee of Norwegians awards the Nobel Peace Prize to someone who has fought for peace. Is Donald Trump worthy?

U.S. President Donald Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize he apparently craves this Friday - my article examining why one leading Norwegian historian puts his chances at "zero" news-decoder.com/promoting-pe... @newsdecoder.bsky.social @ninagraeger.bsky.social @nobelprize.bsky.social

Finally, Some Good Hurricane News for Americans (But Don’t Thank Trump’s FEMA Budget Cuts) Plus: This year’s Physics Nobel Prize, Shackleton’s ship had fatal flaws, French Polynesia creates world’s largest marine park, and a moment of beauty

Finally, Some Good Hurricane News for Americans (But Don’t Thank Trump’s FEMA Budget Cuts)

Trump Wants the Nobel Prize. Here’s Who Will Actually Win It. Expert insights from Oslo reveal the real contenders

Trump’s campaigning hard for the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming he’s solved wars the world didn’t know existed.

But here in Oslo, where I attended an expert briefing, the reality is very different. Who will actually win Friday?

Don’t Lose Hope: Jane Goodall’s Last Interview and Today’s Stories of Progress That Prove Her Right Plus: A Nobel Prize for genetic scissors, young climate activists triumph at the ICJ, a dinosaur caught mid-meal, and why women outlive men

Jane Goodall's last interview released: "Don't lose hope." Today's stories prove she was right.
Take a moment to listen to her words:

daybreaknotesandbeans.substack.com/p/dont-lose-...

The Email Search That Finds Exactly What You Need in Seconds Plus: AI-powered search queries, discovering your Substack community, and answering Suzanne’s phone question

Search ‘invoice’ and get 300 emails. Search ‘from:patricia subject:invoice has:attachment after:2024/01/01’ and get exactly the one you need. Master email search plus Substack tips and an ethical phone question.

From Frida Kahlo’s Family Home to Van Gogh’s Chair: When Art Objects Become Time Machines Plus: Revolutionary fertility science, fiber for stroke prevention, and the fork’s scandalous journey to your table

From Frida Kahlo’s Family Home to Van Gogh’s Chair: When Art Objects Become Time Machines.

In Paris, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot created "Clinamen" as an exploration of chance and sound. Your weekend inspiration in Daybreak Notes & Beans.

daybreaknotesandbeans.substack.com/p/when-trump...

When Trump’s Chaos Gets Too Much, Here’s the Good News You Missed This Week Plus: Maritime gold treasures, Easter Island’s billion-dollar secret, a Stradivarius guitar, and why mamba venom is deadlier than we thought

Exhausted by Trump news? Daybreak Notes & Beans shares the amazing stuff you missed: 18th century gold found off Florida, Easter Island’s billion-dollar secret, a 345-year-old Stradivarius guitar, and why mamba bites are deadlier than we knew. ☕️ 🏝️ 😊

The Photo Organization System That Ends the Digital Mess Forever Plus: AI prompts for your photos, following vs subscribing on Substack, and why you should check Instagram’s new Maps settings

Drowning in thousands of phone photos? Here’s the simple album system that actually works.
Plus: AI prompts to help organize your memories, Substack’s subscription levels explained, and Instagram’s new Maps privacy settings.

The Dictator’s Playbook: How Minor Incidents Become Pretexts for Massive Crackdowns Why history’s pattern of crisis exploitation should worry every democracy

The Dictator’s Playbook: How Minor Incidents Become Pretexts for Massive Crackdowns

📹 andrzejbargiel/IG

Need some good news? Ten amazing stories that prove humanity is still worth believing in: Andrzej Bargiel’s record-breaking Everest descent, hidden Picasso painting, rescued penguins, and more weekend inspiration

➡️ daybreaknotesandbeans.substack.com/p/ten-good-n...

Why 1% of People Never Have Sex Plus: Where Americans are happiest, body chemistry hacks, and Emil the elk’s European tour

Why 1% of People Never Have Sex:

The Dictator’s Playbook: How Minor Incidents Become Pretexts for Massive Crackdowns Why history’s pattern of crisis exploitation should worry every democracy

This:

While Trump Destroys America's Climate Future, the World Builds Without America Plus: Chicago's first legal river swim in a century, Australia's singing bird mothers, and Britain's only bonobo baby

Global renewable energy investment hits record $386B.

Although American investment dropped 36%, Europe surged with a jaw-dropping 63%.

Money flows where leadership exists, and that’s not America.

Your Grandchildren Will Ask: What Did You Do When America Lost Its Balance? Plus: Birds evolving from climate change, 30,000-year-old toolkits, and how Rome's dogs live better than most humans

Your grandchildren will ask what you did when free speech was under attack. Today’s newsletter balances sobering political reality with amazing discoveries that restore hope in humanity’s future.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
#news #goodnews