Another must-read piece from @olgalautman.bsky.social and @Julie Roginsky:

Worth reading and subscribing: open.substack.com/pub/rozellak...

Xenophobia kills.

Trans rights are human rights. Statistically, the vast majority of violent crimes are carried out by cis-gender folks; the only gender pattern that actually correlates with violent crime is cis-male gender.

This is an important story on which a vast amount of journalism was suppressed. Read and share.

True. Manufacturing cases against political opponents is the opposite of democracy.

Dangerous disinformation endangering trans lives under the guise of protecting cis-lives. This sounds absurd, but the danger is all too real.

@karenattiah.bsky.social is, of course, already in our Starter Pack. Make sure to follow her both here and on substack. Choose a paid subscription if you can afford it. Keeping an active fourth estate is essential to maintaining any semblance of democracy and to ending the growing autocracy.

McCarthyism redux is en route here. We all need to continue speaking up, writing, and standing up consistently for human rights and democracy. And we have to ensure that free elections happen. open.substack.com/pub/erininth...

There are lots of conspiracies about the Kirk shooting, most informed by bigotry, whether anti-trans, anti-Dem, xenophobic, racist, or a combination “special.” We’d love you to join our crew taking on misinformation & bigotry in FB feeds. If you go it alone instead, we urge you to 👇

We have a current action about this; if you want to get involved, the link will be below, together with #IAmHere algorithmic strategies.

Arrested for filming it. And look how excited they all are to get some *action*. 🇺🇸 Watch fascism work.

Absolutely.

"The only known solution to creeping authoritarianism is broad-based, peaceful, geographically dispersed mass engagement by everyday Americans. That’s it. That’s what works." Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Follow everyone in our starter pack! go.bsky.app/LFooUAL

This is about fundamental, internationally recognized human rights. Kavanaugh and his cohort *should* know better. Since they don’t, they *should* listen to Justice Sotomayor. There is no place for xenophobia or human rights violations.

Once again, ICE arrested, detained, and abused a documented immigrant.

Human rights violations:

We have an awesome starter pack! Share widely, and follow these accounts. go.bsky.app/LFooUAL

A response to the disinformation about D.C.: open.substack.com/pub/robertpj...

A former “Alligator Alcatraz” worker says detainees are subject to “inhumane” conditions — packed by the hundreds into cages without sunlight, with overflowing toilets and limited access to showers.

The Department of Justice hired a former Jan. 6 defendant who was caught on tape urging rioters to "kill" police. The department calls him a "valued member" of the administration.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just announced she's removing the age limit for ICE applicants, which allows literal teenagers to now apply. What could possibly go wrong?

Yep. Unfortunately, not only the Justice(??) Department, but others as well. We saw this in a feed where we had an action today. It’s important to speak up for accuracy and decency and against bigotry and misinformation—which go together routinely.

Misogynoir combined with transphobia directed against a cisgender Black woman both to police gender conformity and especially to attempt to put down an extremely intelligent, powerful Black woman—because some people can’t handle that combination:

One of the most bizarre behaviors that we’re seeing on social media is sets of comments misgendering Michelle Obama. It’s easy to dismiss as too ridiculous to pay any attention to, and our tried-and-true strategy is to make it sink into invisibility in the feeds. Yesterday we did that successfully👇

It was my honor to work with distinguished lawyer colleagues on this statement of commitment to the principles that must undergird American democracy. It appears today as full page ad in the @nytimes.com & in papers around the country. Learn more at @weholdthesetruths.bsky.social

Exactly. This is a prime example of “dangerous speech,” and yes, it’s genocidal. @dangerousspeech.org

An organization that we sometimes work with, the Dangerous Speech Project @dangerousspeech.org calls this kind of comment “dangerous speech” because it often leads to violence. The kind of dehumanizing language used by the people promoting this often precedes genocide. Supporters have picked it up:

An eloquent essay raising essential questions for today in a relevant historical context: open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

If you’re celebrating the 4th, or mourning democracy on the 4th, read this from Judge J. Michael Luttig, one of the foremost conservative jurists in this country: open.substack.com/pub/telos/p/...

Correct. This is authoritarianism trying to squash dissent and opposition. We have seen this before—in authoritarian and fascist regimes. Not in democracies.

"nullification of the election results" = "winning imbued trump with sovereign authority and so all opposition to him is illegitimate and illegal"

What is biased or partisan and what is not? We’re living through extremist times that may make unbiased reporting seem biased. Given ABC’s suspension of Terry Moran for his reporting, sharing this discussion of the same subject is particularly important. open.substack.com/pub/narativ/...

Received video from the anti-ICE protest in downtown LA. Tear gas already dispersed with families reportedly hit.

This is well worth watching, both as a warning and as a reminder of how important it is to address misinformation wherever we find it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWjR...

Smoke from wildfires in Canada has spread more than 5,000 miles, reaching Russia and Europe during the past week. Parts of the United States and Canada will see poor air quality today.

This should be a national debate, not an executive power grab. 📌 The Posse Comitatus Act prevents the president from using the military as a domestic police force.

Beyonce honours Black origins of country music in European 'Cowboy Carter' tour reut.rs/3HJybdJ

An essential read: open.substack.com/pub/olgalaut...

The Trump-Qatar Scandal saga continues. And it just gets worse and worse. PROOF brings the whole story together, with full sourcing, in a way no other media outlet has.

Dangerous disinformation—or equally dangerous ignorance.

Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, bungled answers on Tuesday about habeas corpus, incorrectly saying that the legal right of people to challenge their detention by the government was actually the president’s “constitutional right” to deport people.

NEW: DOJ reveals new details in charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver, accused of assaulting two agents. Plus, ICE is considering changing its protocols on congressional visits to ICE centers, per internal docs. w/ @traceytully.bsky.social @haleaziz.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/n...

The F.D.A. is prepared to approve Covid vaccines for 65+ and for those with an underlying condition. If you're 65 and under and healthy? FDA wants more data: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/h...

F.B.I. Closes Unit That Policed Compliance With Surveillance Rules The office audited the bureau’s use of a disputed warrantless wiretap law that is set to expire next spring unless Congress reauthorizes it. W/ Adam Goldman www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/u...

Freedom of the press is essential for democracy. Our organization was founded by a journalist, and standing with journalists is part of what we do. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

I'm SUPER proud of all the folks joining the independent media revolution: @klasfeldreports.com @katiephang.bsky.social @jimacosta.bsky.social @contrariannews.org @joyannreid.bsky.social ... there are too many to name, but thank you for all your work!! Three cheers for independent media!!

Representative Crockett is right; this is *not* what democracy looks like. (And yes, the US is supposed to be a democracy: a federal and representative democracy. Almost all modern democracies are representative.)