I know this has been shared a lot today, but if you haven't read it yet, you should. When I first saw the title, I thought it was a reference to nuclear winter (I'm a child of the 80s, obviously). But it is a reference to the Arab Spring uprising, and worth your time.

YOUR PHONE CALLS TO THE SENATE ARE WORKING. KEEP CALLING. 202–224-3121 Three Democrats who previously broke with the party and voted with the GOP are now saying they will not vote for the bill. That’s enough for the bill to be unpassable right now.

Exactly! Minnesota has set the standard for what we in other cities need to do when the regime sends its goons to terrorize our fellow citizens. Take notes! Be inspired! We are witnessing everything that's good about this country mobilize against evil.

National media should really be covering the fact thay every major school, museum, and arts institution in the Twin Cities, and hundreds of local businesses are closed tomorrow to protest federal occupation. Nothing like this at this scale has happened anywhere in America anytime in living memory.

So much news...that word about this defeat in the war on higher ed. may have gotten lost: "The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colleges."

Local organizations are collaborating on a new initiative this winter called 100 Days of Warmth, a campaign to raise awareness about white flag shelters and raise funds to expand shelter capacity and other homelessness services further.

This was kind of a difficult piece to write, given how shaky and frightening everything is here right now, but keeping Assigned readers informed of a dire situation they might not know a lot about was worthwhile. Thanks so much to @rohnkat.bsky.social and @leighfinke.bsky.social!

DOGE likely perpetrated the most serious, far-reaching data breaches in human history, and we will be dealing with the consequences for years. Many DOGErs should have been, and still could be, prosecuted for these crimes.

We have an entire class of Democratic "leadership" that has been told that it's dangerous and extreme to say this, and that does not understand that what Democrats want is for their leaders to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. That should not be as big an ask as it apparently is.

There are different types of winter weather: There's fun - and then there's dangerous. This weekend's event is looking dangerous in NC. Timing: Saturday *and* Sunday Impacts: Dangerous travel and power outages Snow amounts and ice amounts could be very high, and stick around for days.

The Daily Tarheel 🔥 www.dailytarheel.com/article/5671...

1/x thread We need so many kinds of action now w/range of capacities: Image ofc the brilliant @prisonculture.bsky.social. I want to start by expressing my overwhelming gratitude to everyone who has & continues to put their bodies between them and the State during these days of horror and fury.

if i could give one broad direction to people: stop being afraid of doing something. take some initiative. find a group near you. pick up the boxes that need hauling. bring food. take out the trash. see a need that is unmet? get some friends together and do the thing. organize your niche.

If you are in Seattle, please go patronize this store because this is amazing content/promo 😂 (laughing to keep from crying, and I do kind of low-key want that orange spider plant I have never seen that before) Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...

Great news for Carrboro and Chapel Hill! These much-needed pedestrian safety improvements have been in the works a long time. I'm so glad to see construction will begin soon. #carrboro #chapelhill #unc

It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few, and the immense political power that gives them. We cannot solve our problems until we tackle it. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A lot of government, especially at the federal level, is stopping bad things from happening. It is hard to explain its value when the bad thing does not happen. Take it away, and broader societal risks increase, but the effects may take a while to emerge, and will be contested by those cutting govt.

Join us on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Century Hall located at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC 27510 to hear from speakers and friends of the community gather for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. https://monkeylink.co/789b3f

Surprisingly quick decline in forever chemicals in fish when we stop making them - my news to me good news for Jan 16 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries bridgemi.com/michigan-env...

Dr. King said that myths about Reconstruction poisoned “the collective mind of America with racism.” As we approach #MartinLutherKingDay, read King's 1968 remarks about W. E. B. Du Bois's classic text, "Black Reconstruction," published in 1935. #TeachTruth www.zinnedproject.org/news/dr-king...

North Carolina’s community land trusts seek higher profile as affordable housing option ncnewsline.com/2026/01/16/n... Story by @gchildress.bsky.social #ncpol #housing

At one point today, there were 283 Minnesota attorneys doing a training on how to file emergency habeas petitions to keep our neighbors from being shipped out of state and held indefinitely. That would be the second largest law firm in the state. And that training was just put together this week.

Solid story on a complex issue. The indisputable cause of this affordability crisis is enormous demand for homes in a great place to live. Orange County & its towns, including Carrboro, face the same choice. We are not full - we have chosen in the past to be exclusive. We can do better.

The Washington House just approved HB 1175, which would legalize neighborhood corner stores & cafes statewide. The bill was sent directly to the House floor after being approved in committee last session. A last minute amendment dropped suburbs with fewer than 5,000 people. The vote was 94-2.

Aware that he only had a few months left to live the great Mike Davis gave one of his final interviews to the Guardian in 202. "You’ve been organizing for social change your whole life. How do you deal with a future that feels so bleak?" Lois Beckett asked.

the last 5 years have really clarified the dichotomy at the heart of the Democratic party: the elected pols who think their job is to show up and look solemn at vigils vs. those that understand their job is to make sure those vigils don't need to happen in the first place

The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of nearly 100 House Democrats, will announce later today that it's formally endorsing legislation to strip $175 billion from ICE and put it toward affordable housing. www.huffpost.com/entry/doj-fe...

If you trust a big tech company to do right by citizens in this political climate then I have two Brooklyn bridges to sell you for the price of one.

North Carolina’s elections are being run by partisan Republicans who are making it clear they don’t want certain people to vote. As election officials prepare for the 2026 elections, it’s critical for voters to keep a close eye on local boards, @billycorriher.bsky.social writes.

It would take a two-word amendment to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to subject ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers to the same liability for constitutional violations that local and state officers currently face. If Congress actually cared about what it's seeing, it could pass that overnight.

The Mayo, right above its confluence with the Dan. Next to the aptly named town of Mayodan. Had to move away, but it's still my home river.

This is both very abstract and also absolutely critical. If you've ever asked how progressives can get better at "doing big things" you may find this helpful.

In true Carrboro fashion, Bruce is singing the marchers on.

Several hundred turn out for quiet procession and protest in Carrboro, NC #ReneeGood #AbolishICE

Presence in the US without documentation is a civil offense, not a crime. There is no reason for ICE to have weapons whatsoever (or exist, really). It would be like a meter maid or a debt collector drawing a weapon on you. The militarization of civil law enforcement is and has always been wrong.

the discourse on what jobs are acceptable to replace with generative AI reveals a lot about what we think of other people's jobs

"If community now feels inconvenient, it is worth asking whether the infrastructure beneath it is to blame. The work is not just to build community, but to rebuild the environment that once made community the easy choice."

Ultimately we *just don't know*, so we just have to act like the things that should matter will matter, because sometimes acting like it makes it so

After the mother of a 6-year-old was gunned down by ICE Laura Loomer made fun of the pronouns in her online bio. Today on Assigned, @billiejsweeney.bsky.social describes how contempt has been normalized by our media, enabling greater and greater atrocities. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

🚨NEW: Federal officers like ICE agents have been routinely prosecuted by states for violating state laws, up to and including murder, since the 1800s. Minnesota has every ability to do this with today's killing of a motorist by an ICE agent. prospect.org/2026/01/07/i...

Tim Walz mobilizing the MN national guard to protect his own citizens from ICE’s gun-slinging, masked vigilantes is the correct use of those forces. I hope the MN attorney general expeditiously secures a murder indictment against that ICE agent, because he cannot be allowed to walk freely.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of finding one constructive real world offline thing you can do to use your particular skills in service of fighting fascism as a psychological defense against the constant drumbeat of fuckery

NEW POST While cities across North America struggle with housing shortages, Edmonton is proving that zoning reform works. In 2025, for the first time in history, the number of homes permitted in 5-8 unit rowhomes surpassed detached homes. 🧵 #yeg #yegcc #yimby www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2026/zb...

I don’t see it as a competition… it’s hopefully a tipping point, and a powerful potential collaboration and mutual inspiration between @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social in New York City, @wutrain.bsky.social in Boston, @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social in Seattle & many more mayors to come. City leadership.

Frustrating hearing “nobody cares” and “Americans are so disengaged”. It’s a disservice to the many, many activists and orgs who are indeed fighting to make things better. Immediate drastic change would be nice, but it’s the consistent work that actually builds longterm change. Help do that work.

Local advocacy is more important than ever. It's overwhelming to think about how to fix [motions to everything] but I can make it safer for seniors to cross the street, for kids to bike to school, for people to have places to meet in public space... all of which build and strengthen our democracy.

Don't forget folks: allowing yourself a vision of the future you'd want for our country and planet - not the one you'd settle for, not the one you fear, but the future of your dreams - isn't naive, it's a vital cognitive skill. That's how we articulate what we most value. What's worth fighting for.