This quote recently took me out - “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

I published the first of a series on my experience with the 7/4/25 flood as a 32 year resident of Kerrville, TX and nearly a decade of experience in first responder work in the Hill Country. open.substack.com/pub/smartcit...

If one wanted to turn the US Forest Service into a completely commodity-driven, straw-man enterprise that is incapable of stewarding public lands, one of the highest items on the to-do list would be to eliminate the USFS research branch... 🌏

Days after the March on Washington, a Black couple named Horace and Sara Baker moved into an otherwise all-white neighborhood in Folcroft, #Pennsylvania. They had one child and were expecting their second. They were met with a hostile and angry mob. #history #skystorians

Please consider donating a few dollars to support the Money Out of Politics July 27 March. givebutter.com/Marchforinte...

Back again with Volume 13 of the Suzie Community Review - a free news review featuring all free resources linked. open.substack.com/pub/smartcit...

Volume 12 has been posted! Enjoy a collection of informative, free news sources. substack.com/home/post/p-...

I've recently found the essays of Toni Morrison and I am forever changed. time.com/6203722/amer...

"I'm too tired to protest," they said. Are you, though?

NEW YORK (AP) - ProPublica wins 2025 Pulitzer for Public Service for reports on deaths of pregnant women in abortion-restricted states.

That we had major victories in the book ban fight in FL and TX over this weekend 🥳🥰😭

Louder for the voters in the back!

NEW: Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia maintains the initial objectives of its war in Ukraine, which are tantamount to Ukraine's surrender, despite ongoing negotiations with the United States. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 4, 2025: isw.pub/UkrWar050425

Are you engaged in local activism work?

Close to 300 in attendance today for a fantastic educational event put on by Indivisible. I've participated in Indivisible in 2 states now and continually impressed by what the org does for the activist community. If you're still looking for an activism home, please find your local chapter.

Volume 11 already? Where does the time go?

A special Saturday Night version of the Weekly Suzie Community Review. With a full day of activism planned tomorrow, the job is done early! Enjoy - it's a free newsletter full of free, accessible resources for further research. open.substack.com/pub/smartcit...

In April, the United States conducted at least 635 airstrikes in Yemen (the timelapse depicts only 219), based on ISW open-source tracking data. The United States has conducted at least 973 airstrikes since March 15, when President Donald Trump first ordered airstrikes in Yemen.

The most helpful article on the EO requiring fluency in English for truck drivers that I've come across so far www.truckinginfo.com/10239956/tru...

Numbers don't lie www.investors.com/etfs-and-fun...

A legal analyst for conservative television station Newsmax accused the Trump administration of going on a “bit of a jihad” against judges in its public arrest of a sitting judge last week.

This is so cool! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

A special volume 11 - enough doomscrolling, a moment to reflect on the flood of misinformation from the past 2 weeks - strategizing, helping each other, doing better. We need more Warriors for Truth in this battle open.substack.com/pub/smartcit...

"Nearly half of Americans—or about 156 million people—are living in counties with failing grades for ozone or particulate matter pollution, two of the most common and dangerous air pollutants. That’s 25 million more people than in the 2024 report." 🌎🌿🧪 insideclimatenews.org/news/2304202...

Trying to keep our heads in the game during these dizzying times.... open.substack.com/pub/smartcit...

FOR THOSE IN THE BACK: We EARNED our benefits, and Social Security ought to be there for us when it's time to collect! #HandsOffMySocialSecurity

U of Minnesota is organizing the Vaccine Integrity Project, thanks to a grant from Christy Walton's organization, Alumbra. They say they cannot guarantee that the government will continue to hire unbiased experts to safeguard vaccine safety and science. www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/v...

Important reporting from David Kurtz on the recent updates regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case - Read the thread below!

"The government asserts that Abrego Garcia is a terrorist and a member of MS-13. Perhaps, but perhaps not. Regardless, he is still entitled to due process." Every American should read the Fourth Circuit's ruling www.ca4.uscourts.gov/docs/pdfs/25...

"If the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine." - Henry David Thoreau

I couldn't say enough wonderful things about Texas Observer - a beacon of great journalism.

#What'sHistory #HistorySky

On his Substack, Rubio said he was cutting programs that "became a platform for left-wing activists to wage vendettas against 'anti-woke' leaders in nations such as Poland, Hungary and Brazil" www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...

The DoJ sent letters to private medical journals asking for a report on their editorial processes, including admitting to their readers they had been misled.

Not a single trade deal accomplished yet, aside from Israel promising to "forgive" the trade deficit, whatever that means... do I have that count right? www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzGz...

And yet the administration is also investigating employee rights to collective bargaining in an auto factory in Mexico www.govexec.com/workforce/20...

Join us May 1 at 7:00 pm ET for a live virtual event, “Trump’s First 100 Days: Four Crises That Could Break Democracy.” @marcelias.bsky.social hosts an expert panel to discuss how close we are to a constitutional crisis — and how we get out. Register here: hubs.ly/Q03j5s1l0

Government spending is up, protecting innocent life - down. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/19/w...

For the sake of my holiday Sunday plans, as well as the care of my mental fortitude, we have an abbreviated but worthwhile newsletter this week. #writingcommunity #news #uspolitics #geopolitics smartcitizens.substack.com/p/the-suzie-...

Those following Trump's attacks on the education of both K-12 and higher academia should take the time to read this excerpt. surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcont...

We do not know in which direction the US dollar moves next. #trading #tradewar #stocks #investing #bitcoin #gold #inflation #data #Riksbank #Fed #tariffs #economy $VIX #econsky #FinSky #finance

The removal of tariffs won't un-piss off the world.

#econsky www.cnbc.com/2025/04/16/u...

#Ukraine #UkrainianView by @zarinazabrisky.bsky.social

Only two federal officials have ever been jailed for contempt of court – and that was back in 1951. Now a judge is threatening contempt charges against Trump officials for defying an order on deportations. Quick explainer: theconversation.com/federal-judg...

"If a party chooses to disobey the order — rather than wait for it to be reversed through the judicial process — such disobedience is punishable as contempt, notwithstanding any later-revealed deficiencies in the order."

From @newbedfordlight.bsky.social: A Guatemalan immigrant with no Massachusetts criminal record was arrested Monday on Tallman Street in New Bedford after federal agents shattered the glass on his vehicle as he and his wife waited inside the car for their lawyer to arrive.

Rep. Corey Harbison rarely attended sessions in 2024 and 2025 but remained on the roll, raising questions about accountability and transparency in legislative attendance.