Frank Buffum

Work in Progress: Registered Work in Progress is a recurring feature on CAMPAIGN TRAILS, in which I share some of the more interesting materials I’ve uncovered in my book-in-progress on the work of John Doar and the Civil Rights ...

Sixty years ago today, the first federal examiners went to work in the first nine counties covered by the Voting Rights Act.

Here's my account of the first day in Selma from the first draft of The Division manuscript.

Here are the still images. Please share them widely.

What were those ICE requirements again? 🤔

YouTube video by The Lincoln Project Trump's Vladdy-Daddy Issues

Trump’s newest diversion tactic: meet with his boss and frame it as diplomacy. Watch the latest from the LP podcast here: youtu.be/4l3EQsPTuqI

US, Russia plan truce deal that would cement Putin's gains in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports Washington and Moscow are aiming to reach a deal to halt the war in Ukraine that would lock in Russia's occupation of territory seized during its military invasion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

So much for Trump ever getting tough on Russia…
www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Welcome to the big time. You’re now presenting a new logo as big news.

JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip Exclusive: Incident raises questions of exploitation of public services, but Secret Service says it was requested for ‘safe navigation’

“JD Vance’s team had the army corps of engineers take the unusual step of changing the outflow of a lake in Ohio to accommodate a recent boating excursion on a family holiday.”

Why you might not know that 2024 was America's safest year since the 1960s An overwhelming majority of Americans, 64 percent, believe that crime increased across the country in 2024, according to a Gallup survey conducted late last year.

open.substack.com/pub/populari...

AP: “.. About half of all Americans say the cost of groceries is a ‘major’ source of stress in their life right now ..”

@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/poll...

The New Dark Age The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself.

They’re trying to destroy universities & scientific research, ban books, fabricate government data, rewrite history & mandate what is or isn’t taught in schools.

It’s how authoritarians work. It’s not about prosperity, advancement & knowledge. It’s about control, ignorance & manipulation.

Walk in the Presidio

While We Were on Summer Break, the ACLU Was Fighting to Keep Books in Military Schools 596 books removed. Military families and the ACLU are making sure you hear about it.

The Trump admin banned 596 books from military schools. The list included an AP Psych study guide, a book about puberty, and a literal ABC board book for toddlers.

The ACLU and DoDEA families are fighting back.

Here's what’s been going on:

open.substack.com/pub/mrsfrazz...

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo @Claudiashein. 29m Tuvimos una muy buena llamada con el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump. Evitamos el aumento de aranceles anunciado para mañana y logramos 90 días para construir un acuerdo de largo plazo a partir del diálogo. Me acompañaron Juan Ramón de la Fuente, secretario de Relaciones Exteriores; Marcelo Ebrard, secretario de Economía, y Roberto Velasco, subsecretario para América del Norte.

Mexico has defeated the United States again.

Trump has been forced by President Sheinbaum to extend his previous tariff freeze by another 90 days. Previously Trump declared he wasn't going to extend it but after one phone call with the Mexican President he folded.

NYT Headline writers double down on sanewashing no matter what the article says.

Candidate Trump Promised Oil Executives a Windfall. Now, They’re Getting It.

As I recall, this “promise” was conditional on large contributions industry. Paywall-free link here
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/c...

Counter Spread of ‘Redpill’ Masculinity: Guide Men to Grow Toxic redpill masculinity leaves men weaker and more isolated. Counter it by reframing male strength as protecting and serving others.

www.theframelab.org/r/60c04077?m...

Tell them people will think more highly of them and invest more in connecting with them the more good they do for others.
Tell them being a protector doesn’t have to mean buying a gun and building a bunker. Like Barack Obama says, it can also mean simple things...

From FrameLab: Practical Ways to Redirect Male Energy
If you want to encourage the males in your life down this healthier path:
Tell them it's their duty as a man to stand up for all the women in their lives. The women they know need them to do this.

bsky.app/profile/thet...

we should not amplify.

Thanks @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social

Epstein Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg: The Trump Protection Machine and the Epidemic of Violence Against Women On July 2, the jury delivered a guilty verdict on some of the charges against music mogul Sean Combs for his decades of horrific sexual abuse of women with the help of his extensive staff and deep poc...

Amen! Just as T47 is a symptom, not the problem, Epstein is as well.
"while I'm all for releasing the Epstein files, I want a broader conversation and deeper change."
www.meditationsinanemergency.com/epstein-is-o...

Pickin' the Bluegrass music this evening at Hop Dogma Brewing in Half Moon Bay. 6-8pm—Fun on tap! #bluegrass #bluegrassmusic #bayarea #bayareamusic

Good transcription. But he (surprise!) talks over her as she makes her point, and then ignores it.
Facts don’t matter (especially on Fox)

Political cartoon. President Trump is pictured in a suit, looking down and covering his ears. Jeffery Epstein is depicted ten times, peeking out from numerous places on Trump, including from inside his jacket pockets, behind his tie, and on top of his head.

...and actual summer clothing is a waste of packing space, unless you're spending time in outlying areas around the Bay. Then, that's necessary, too!
what are you doing while you're here?

I have that problem every time I leave my house (in SF). Layers, always, is the answer. For those living in actual summer, it's hard to understand that a long sleeve shirt, a heavy overshirt AND a jacket is needed when you get here, every day. Even when you go out and it's sunny and warm.

Lawyers question legality of Alligator Alcatraz, ask federal judge to intervene “This is an unprecedented situation where hundreds of detainees are held incommunicado, with no ability to access the courts, under legal authority that has never been explained and may not exist,” pl...

“‘This is an unprecedented situation where hundreds of detainees are held incommunicado, with no ability to access the courts, under legal authority that has never been explained and may not exist,’ they argued.”

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

This is so important and long overdue.