Can judges act beyond the courtroom to resist threats to democracy? Many thanks to @katarinasipulova.bsky.social for bringing us together for this important and timely discussion. I’ll be discussing India and Brazil, which present 2 very different pictures

Effective summary of a study finding that Reform UK’s supporters are a very diverse and fragile coalition whose defining shared trait is a collapse in the belief that mainstream parties can improve their lives www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Two Illinois National Guard soldiers refuse to comply with dictator Trump's plans to use the military against US citizens: "I won't turn on my neighbors." Portland activist Angela Baker packs 20 minutes of news into 10 minutes of video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaRz...

The 9th Cir opinion and the Chicago case in the Sup Ct are HUGE--if through principles of deference they green-light Trump, he's off to the autocratic races. Catch my special youtube www.youtube.com/@TalkingFeds & harrylitman.substack.com/Substack live w/ @klasfeldreports.com that lay out the stakes

The Trump regime’s constant onslaught of cruelty and mounting threats can be scary and demoralizing. That’s their intent. But the people won’t bow down. On Saturday, we’re gonna speak out on a grander scale than Trump has ever seen. Find a peaceful protest: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i... #NoKings

By contemporary far-right standards, this is rare good news for democracy.

One week from right now, millions of Americans will gather in every state for the biggest day of peaceful protest in American history. Join your local No Kings Day event to make it clear that We The People won’t cower in response to Trump’s authoritarian takeover: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

⚡️ NEW WORKING PAPER Can constitutional courts resist autocracies on the rise worldwide? What factors boost or impede their resilience? These are the questions addressed by this NB new Demoptimism Working Paper by Gábor Halmai, Ágnes Kovács and Max Steuer ➡️ www.demoptimism.org/working-paper-series

Czech Election: Babis’s Search for Majority Puts Fringe Parties in Driver’s Seat https://www.byteseu.com/1424200/ The populist ANO party, led by billionaire Andrej Babis, won the recent Czech election with 34.5% of the votes but did not secure a majority. This leaves ANO needing coalition …

"Members of the far-right Patriots for Europe group are celebrating the victory of populist right-winger Andrej Babiš and his ANO party in the Czech parliamentary elections." www.politico.eu/article/patr...

This federal judge appointed by President Trump found his claims of “chaos“ in Portland, Oregon “untethered to the facts.“

The next phase of post-Assad #Syria - #elections www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Barbra Streisand is joining Jane Fonda and 600+ entertainment figures in re-launching the Committee for the First Amendment. Fonda announced the revival of the organization, initially founded by her father, Henry Fonda. The organization was founded in the 1940s to defend free speech against fascism.

What’s your favourite symbol of liberation? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s... #democracy #protest #liberation

After Charlie Kirk's shooting, X's Grok and Google's AI Overviews spread false claims. Varsha Bansal explores how misinformation is laundered by AI during breaking news, and the challenges of moderating and regulating AI systems.

"I have spent the last few weeks addressing and preparing for a military invasion by the President of the United States. No, I’m not a soldier or a foreign adversary. I’m the Governor of Illinois"

ICE denies using excessive force in Broadview, Illinois. Never mind the videos…

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

In the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s senseless, unconstitutional suspension, it's time to speak up for free speech. Share these ideas with your people who want to do something—courage is contagious.

The most impactful way to complain about Kimmel. Fellow Portlanders: We do have a Sinclair station, and it's katu.com (ABC). (Reposting for alt-text).

This is the biggest attack on free speech since the McCarthy era but it also has significantly less popular consensus behind it than the second Red Scare. It's being done on behalf of a minority faction led by the most unpopular president in modern history. Organizing against this can win.

“International media initially reported the protest as typical Gen Z anger over Oli’s social media crackdown, only to quickly realize the dissent went much deeper," Vandana Menon writes for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

Political violence is rising in wealthy democracies. Political leaders, more than anyone, have the power to stoke or stamp out this dangerous cycle of violence.

This is the playbook, folks. If you're not paying attention now and doing something about it, then you're going to have to sit down the rest of your life because democracy is being taken away. Do not be quiet in this moment.

Exactly this

‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for #freespeech in the #USA www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

In March, we reported on how two leaders of a white supremacist network allegedly helped create a detailed hit list of U.S. politicians, execs, academics and others, according to court documents. Each entry included a photo of the target and their home address. W/ @frontlinepbs.bsky.social

We’re offering a training on how to identify, defuse, and prevent the spread of political violence. By standing up in defense of democracy and in opposition to violence, we spread the courage for more to do so.

⚡ CAN THIS IDEA SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? On International Day of Democracy I am delighted to announce the re-launch of the ERRN Working Paper series. Don’t miss our re-launch paper: ‘The Australian to Save American Democracy - and America’s Potential to Return the Favour’ ▶️ go.unimelb.edu.au/8d3p

⚡ BOLSONARO'S VERDICT: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BRAZIL, AND THE WORLD? The verdict is in: #Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years for his attempted coup d'état in 2023. in our latest Demoptimism Update we reflect on what the verdict means for repairing democracy in #Brazil. ➡️ shorturl.at/GjTho

Lest we forget: This is what justice in a constitutional republic looks like! Trump’s plot to overturn the 2020 election included calls to hang Pence, parallel to Bolsonaro’s calls to kill his opponent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/w...

⚡ BOLSONARO'S VERDICT: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BRAZIL, AND THE WORLD? The verdict is in: #Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years for his attempted coup d'état in 2023. in our latest Demoptimism Update we reflect on what the verdict means for repairing democracy in #Brazil. ➡️ shorturl.at/GjTho

First Past the Post stands to make a mockery of the electorate at the next election, boosting some parties and punishing others, all based on tiny differences in vote share. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Lower court federal judges refuse to kneel to Trump & his nightmarish overreach

Over five million people protested against Trump’s regime on No Kings Day — and the sequel is going to be even bigger. Join a local event on October 18: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

The 3-justice dissent was right:“We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, [we] dissent.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/u...